Saturday, January 24, 2004
I'm hammering a new template into shape here, so bear with me. I should have some form of image gallery up pretty soon, so check back if you feel like it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Changes
Getting ready to change the page soon. I'm going to drop quite a bit from the image galleries, so get to lookin while the lookins good. I think I'm going to shift the emphasis of the page to more of a wrestling in general kindof thing, but I'll still talk about the TNA. I've not been since the last show that I re-capped, and I'm not looking to go anytime soon.
I think after a year I just got burned out. (And I'm still pissed about Lex Luger)
Getting ready to change the page soon. I'm going to drop quite a bit from the image galleries, so get to lookin while the lookins good. I think I'm going to shift the emphasis of the page to more of a wrestling in general kindof thing, but I'll still talk about the TNA. I've not been since the last show that I re-capped, and I'm not looking to go anytime soon.
I think after a year I just got burned out. (And I'm still pissed about Lex Luger)
Saturday, December 20, 2003
Wrestlemania 2
I know it's not a TNA thing, but I did want to talk for a moment about a purchase I made recently. Went to Media ReRun, a used movie and CD store, complete with guitars I'm afraid I'm going to knock over and have to pay for.
I found a copy of Wrestlemania 2, unopened. It's from the line of tapes the WWF released a couple of years back.
I remember hating Wrestlemania 2. Thinking that it was pretty stupid. It's been at least ten years since I've seen it.
After watching it: I don't hate it as much. It's not on par with a lot of WM shows, but it has some good moments. Probably the best thing about it is the nostalgia factor. 1986 was when I was watching the WWF pretty regularly with my friends Tregg and Lindsey....so a lot of the guys in WM2 were guys we saw every week on Superstars....Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Tito Santana, Hillbilly Jim and King Damn Kong Bundy.
For me, the highlights:
The 20 Man Football Player/Wrestler Battle Royal, won by Andre the Giant. This is the last time I remember Andre wrestling as a face. I got in trouble not long after WM2, and wasn't allowed to watch wrestling until the fall, when Andre was pretty much in full-on heel mode going towards Wrestlemania III. It's also notable because Bruno Sammartino's in the match, and if you watch, he directs traffic a lot. Bret Hart's in there too, and boy is he young.
The Dream Team/British Bulldogs match was surprisingly good. Brutus Beefcake actually strings a couple of moves together. But what struck me was the Dynamite Kid. It was here that I really noticed just how much Chris Benoit has let Dynamite's look and style influence his ring work.
The Roddy Piper/Mr. T boxing match....Piper really tags Mr. T a couple of times.
There are still bad parts. The women's wrestling match is horrid, made even more so by what the women of today can today.
Why are Susan St. James, Cathy Lee Crosby and Elvira doing commentary? They're adding absolutely nothing, and in Cathy Lee's case, they're down right irritating.
The Adrian Adonis/Uncle Elmer match. What the hell, you know?
I know it's not a TNA thing, but I did want to talk for a moment about a purchase I made recently. Went to Media ReRun, a used movie and CD store, complete with guitars I'm afraid I'm going to knock over and have to pay for.
I found a copy of Wrestlemania 2, unopened. It's from the line of tapes the WWF released a couple of years back.
I remember hating Wrestlemania 2. Thinking that it was pretty stupid. It's been at least ten years since I've seen it.
After watching it: I don't hate it as much. It's not on par with a lot of WM shows, but it has some good moments. Probably the best thing about it is the nostalgia factor. 1986 was when I was watching the WWF pretty regularly with my friends Tregg and Lindsey....so a lot of the guys in WM2 were guys we saw every week on Superstars....Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Tito Santana, Hillbilly Jim and King Damn Kong Bundy.
For me, the highlights:
The 20 Man Football Player/Wrestler Battle Royal, won by Andre the Giant. This is the last time I remember Andre wrestling as a face. I got in trouble not long after WM2, and wasn't allowed to watch wrestling until the fall, when Andre was pretty much in full-on heel mode going towards Wrestlemania III. It's also notable because Bruno Sammartino's in the match, and if you watch, he directs traffic a lot. Bret Hart's in there too, and boy is he young.
The Dream Team/British Bulldogs match was surprisingly good. Brutus Beefcake actually strings a couple of moves together. But what struck me was the Dynamite Kid. It was here that I really noticed just how much Chris Benoit has let Dynamite's look and style influence his ring work.
The Roddy Piper/Mr. T boxing match....Piper really tags Mr. T a couple of times.
There are still bad parts. The women's wrestling match is horrid, made even more so by what the women of today can today.
Why are Susan St. James, Cathy Lee Crosby and Elvira doing commentary? They're adding absolutely nothing, and in Cathy Lee's case, they're down right irritating.
The Adrian Adonis/Uncle Elmer match. What the hell, you know?
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Still a Lack of Interest
I haven't commented in over a month on TNA, and to be honest I haven't given the promotion that much thought lately.
I do see in the dirt sheets that Hogan's condition is worse than originally thought and the Bound For Glory PPV is being pushed back until at least May or June. Well, isn't that just some shit.
I wonder how ironclad Hogan's contract (if any) is with the company, and if this may just be a stall tactic so that he can set up a WWE return for Wrestlemania XX. Wouldn't that be hi-damnlarious.
If that were the case, then we've been subjected to Hogan lackeys such as Jimmy Hart for a storyline that will peter out in a big way.
Maybe this will teach TNA not to put all their eggs in one big-old-should-be-retired basket. I doubt it though.
They have something good with the younger guys. Lo-Ki, Chris Daniels, AJ Styles, AMW--these are the guys you builld your promotion around, not Jarrett, Sting, Luger and Hogan. There was a promotion that was built around those guys and it was called WCW and it tanked.
When they finally realize that people are willing to accept wrestlers as athletes and we can leave the bad acting and the bad writing behind, then there will be a promotion to rival the WWE. Until then the most that TNA can hope for is WCW lite.
I'll post some more on the Hogan situation as it develops.
I haven't commented in over a month on TNA, and to be honest I haven't given the promotion that much thought lately.
I do see in the dirt sheets that Hogan's condition is worse than originally thought and the Bound For Glory PPV is being pushed back until at least May or June. Well, isn't that just some shit.
I wonder how ironclad Hogan's contract (if any) is with the company, and if this may just be a stall tactic so that he can set up a WWE return for Wrestlemania XX. Wouldn't that be hi-damnlarious.
If that were the case, then we've been subjected to Hogan lackeys such as Jimmy Hart for a storyline that will peter out in a big way.
Maybe this will teach TNA not to put all their eggs in one big-old-should-be-retired basket. I doubt it though.
They have something good with the younger guys. Lo-Ki, Chris Daniels, AJ Styles, AMW--these are the guys you builld your promotion around, not Jarrett, Sting, Luger and Hogan. There was a promotion that was built around those guys and it was called WCW and it tanked.
When they finally realize that people are willing to accept wrestlers as athletes and we can leave the bad acting and the bad writing behind, then there will be a promotion to rival the WWE. Until then the most that TNA can hope for is WCW lite.
I'll post some more on the Hogan situation as it develops.
Saturday, November 08, 2003
TNA's Dixie Carter responds to the media on Lex Luger's TNA appearance
Apparently, a lot of folks have been expressing dismay at Lex Luger's TNA debut next week. So much so that TNA President Dixie Carter has chosen to respond in a statement found on the NWA-TNA website.
You can read the text of the whole statement here.
I'd like to respond to a couple of things that are said:
First:
TNA is about opportunity -- for wrestlers new and established. For the fans, TNA provides a weekly program that showcases today’s hottest talent, introduces the stars of tomorrow, and provides the opportunity to re-experience wrestling icons. Since its inception, TNA has paid homage to NWA legends who have laid the foundation for our company.
Paying homage is one thing. Actually booking them to wrestle, is another. There have been some really terrible matches with these "legends." Some are out of shape, and some were never all that legendary to begin with (Terry Taylor comes to mind). And booking them in the main event (Dusty Rhodes....Lex Luger)? It's an insult to the guys who actually can have a match go longer than three minutes who can put three moves together.
So, Dixie said it right, but the thing you have to remember is that TNA is about paying "homage" to legends first and foremost, the stars of today (or the last couple of years) a close second, and these up and comers last.
As far as TNA talent is considered, we could not be more proud of our entire roster who give their heart and soul week after week to build this special group. We believe in being compassionate and giving guys a chance. From new, incredibly talented young men to veterans who may need lifting up when trying to change their lives. Surrounding a man with the kind of environment we enjoy backstage at TNA can only be considered a very good thing. We are about accentuating the positive, not the negative
Oh. I see. It's about Lex Luger's drug problems. We're using all your valuable resources and valuable ring time to help a guy out. I see. Right. Sure. It's not at all about the number of people who might tune in because Luger and Sting will be wrestling.
I never had a problem with Lex in that regard. I hope he's clean and sober and will never have a problem in that regard again. Lord knows he's had a tough year. He deserves a break as much as anybody.
What I object to is his automatic insertion into the main event of a show when he hasn't wrestled regularly for 2-3 years, now. In fact, you can probably count the sum total of the matches he's wrestled in the past two years on two hands. And what's more, he wasn't even that good 3 years ago? Lex Luger has never been that good.
When our talent approaches management and recommends giving someone an opportunity, we listen, and that is the case with Lex Luger, as well as others. The success of bringing Lex to TNA won’t be measured with pay-per-view buys. It will be measured by what a man does with an opportunity given.
Well, at least I know now. Because success recently certainly hasn't been measured by the quality of the product in the ring. It's nice to know that I've been paying my money over the past 17 months so that Lex Luger can have a moral victory.
Here's the a short Heel Section forum response.
And lastly, Dixie Carter says that they aren't trying to capitalize on Lex Luger's troubled past. Right. It never crossed any of their minds up their. Not once. Never in a million years. You got some oceanfront property in Hendersonville you want to sell me, because I'm looking....
Lastly, I'll say this. If TNA wants to be a different kind of wrestling company....quit catering to the good ol' boys. Look at how ECW did Homage. That's how you do homage. The occasional appearance, and possibly a mid-card feud. Unless you're Terry Funk, at which time you can still outwrestle anybody on the card.
TNA....make your own stars. You have names like Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, Jerry Lynn, Michael Shane, Kid Kash, Chris Sabin, C.M. Punk, Julio Dinero and even Abyss, Trinity, Sonny Siaki, Ekmo Fatu and Kevin Northcutt.
Make a STAR out of somebody!
Listen closely:
QUIT TRADING ON THE NAMES LIKE STING, LEX LUGER AND HULK HOGAN. Their fans are loyal to those names, and not the promotions they wrestle for. They won't stick around after they're gone.
But look how many people cheer for A.J., or for America's Most Wanted. They tune in every week.
ECW made its own stars. TNA, instead, seems to have an inferiority complex, and wants only to have stars that other companies have made.
Ah well. I'm done.
Apparently, a lot of folks have been expressing dismay at Lex Luger's TNA debut next week. So much so that TNA President Dixie Carter has chosen to respond in a statement found on the NWA-TNA website.
You can read the text of the whole statement here.
I'd like to respond to a couple of things that are said:
First:
TNA is about opportunity -- for wrestlers new and established. For the fans, TNA provides a weekly program that showcases today’s hottest talent, introduces the stars of tomorrow, and provides the opportunity to re-experience wrestling icons. Since its inception, TNA has paid homage to NWA legends who have laid the foundation for our company.
Paying homage is one thing. Actually booking them to wrestle, is another. There have been some really terrible matches with these "legends." Some are out of shape, and some were never all that legendary to begin with (Terry Taylor comes to mind). And booking them in the main event (Dusty Rhodes....Lex Luger)? It's an insult to the guys who actually can have a match go longer than three minutes who can put three moves together.
So, Dixie said it right, but the thing you have to remember is that TNA is about paying "homage" to legends first and foremost, the stars of today (or the last couple of years) a close second, and these up and comers last.
As far as TNA talent is considered, we could not be more proud of our entire roster who give their heart and soul week after week to build this special group. We believe in being compassionate and giving guys a chance. From new, incredibly talented young men to veterans who may need lifting up when trying to change their lives. Surrounding a man with the kind of environment we enjoy backstage at TNA can only be considered a very good thing. We are about accentuating the positive, not the negative
Oh. I see. It's about Lex Luger's drug problems. We're using all your valuable resources and valuable ring time to help a guy out. I see. Right. Sure. It's not at all about the number of people who might tune in because Luger and Sting will be wrestling.
I never had a problem with Lex in that regard. I hope he's clean and sober and will never have a problem in that regard again. Lord knows he's had a tough year. He deserves a break as much as anybody.
What I object to is his automatic insertion into the main event of a show when he hasn't wrestled regularly for 2-3 years, now. In fact, you can probably count the sum total of the matches he's wrestled in the past two years on two hands. And what's more, he wasn't even that good 3 years ago? Lex Luger has never been that good.
When our talent approaches management and recommends giving someone an opportunity, we listen, and that is the case with Lex Luger, as well as others. The success of bringing Lex to TNA won’t be measured with pay-per-view buys. It will be measured by what a man does with an opportunity given.
Well, at least I know now. Because success recently certainly hasn't been measured by the quality of the product in the ring. It's nice to know that I've been paying my money over the past 17 months so that Lex Luger can have a moral victory.
Here's the a short Heel Section forum response.
And lastly, Dixie Carter says that they aren't trying to capitalize on Lex Luger's troubled past. Right. It never crossed any of their minds up their. Not once. Never in a million years. You got some oceanfront property in Hendersonville you want to sell me, because I'm looking....
Lastly, I'll say this. If TNA wants to be a different kind of wrestling company....quit catering to the good ol' boys. Look at how ECW did Homage. That's how you do homage. The occasional appearance, and possibly a mid-card feud. Unless you're Terry Funk, at which time you can still outwrestle anybody on the card.
TNA....make your own stars. You have names like Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, Jerry Lynn, Michael Shane, Kid Kash, Chris Sabin, C.M. Punk, Julio Dinero and even Abyss, Trinity, Sonny Siaki, Ekmo Fatu and Kevin Northcutt.
Make a STAR out of somebody!
Listen closely:
QUIT TRADING ON THE NAMES LIKE STING, LEX LUGER AND HULK HOGAN. Their fans are loyal to those names, and not the promotions they wrestle for. They won't stick around after they're gone.
But look how many people cheer for A.J., or for America's Most Wanted. They tune in every week.
ECW made its own stars. TNA, instead, seems to have an inferiority complex, and wants only to have stars that other companies have made.
Ah well. I'm done.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Lex Luger
I didn't go to the TNA Asylum tonight. I haven't been but a couple of times in the past few months. They've seemed interested in little more than catering to the good ol' boy fan and rehashing the same old storylines that have always been going over in Nashville. So screw TNA. I don't think I'm coming back.
Tonight, I read in the 1wrestling recap....that Lex Luger is set to show up next week.
Luger? Luger!?!?!? Do you know when Luger's best days were?
I don't either, because I'm not sure Luger ever actually had a "best" day.
Lex Luger is Hulk Hogan without the charisma, or even any of Hogan's tiny bit of in-ring storytelling ability.
Screw TNA.
What's this shit with a big guy with a secret identity winning the X-Division thingamajig? I guess it's just not enough to have the guys actually wrestle a good match. What a bunch of crap. Screw it.
I just read the recap on 1wrestling.
Screw TNA.
I want no part of a company that is only looking to rehash storylines from WCW's final, dying days.
I think it'll be a long, long while before I go back.
I didn't go to the TNA Asylum tonight. I haven't been but a couple of times in the past few months. They've seemed interested in little more than catering to the good ol' boy fan and rehashing the same old storylines that have always been going over in Nashville. So screw TNA. I don't think I'm coming back.
Tonight, I read in the 1wrestling recap....that Lex Luger is set to show up next week.
Luger? Luger!?!?!? Do you know when Luger's best days were?
I don't either, because I'm not sure Luger ever actually had a "best" day.
Lex Luger is Hulk Hogan without the charisma, or even any of Hogan's tiny bit of in-ring storytelling ability.
Screw TNA.
What's this shit with a big guy with a secret identity winning the X-Division thingamajig? I guess it's just not enough to have the guys actually wrestle a good match. What a bunch of crap. Screw it.
I just read the recap on 1wrestling.
Screw TNA.
I want no part of a company that is only looking to rehash storylines from WCW's final, dying days.
I think it'll be a long, long while before I go back.
Lack of Updates Due to Lack of Interest
I didn't update last week because I didn't go to the Asylum. I'm not headed up there tonight either.
I just don't have any real interest in the card that was announced. I like that there is X-Division action, but I think it will probably just end up with Shane keeping the title and all will be for naught.
I'd like to see Sting, but I don't have any interest in seeing Jeff Jarrett Superchampion anymore.
Maybe if they stop with the latter day WCW booking I might head back up, but that doesn't look to be happening soon.
I didn't update last week because I didn't go to the Asylum. I'm not headed up there tonight either.
I just don't have any real interest in the card that was announced. I like that there is X-Division action, but I think it will probably just end up with Shane keeping the title and all will be for naught.
I'd like to see Sting, but I don't have any interest in seeing Jeff Jarrett Superchampion anymore.
Maybe if they stop with the latter day WCW booking I might head back up, but that doesn't look to be happening soon.