The Smartmark Resistance Alliance (May Contain spoilers)

[Big Evil]

Ok so I want some opinions on this whole "Screwjob 2" idea. Good idea or bad? Are they just trying to steal the WWE's thunder?

Personally I'm a little conflicted but I can say that it does seem ironic that at the same time Bret Hart is back in the WWE, burying the hatchet and starting another chapter in the McMahon-Hart feud, TNA pulls this thing between Styles, Hebner, Angle and Hogan. It was damn near a copy of what happened twelve years ago. I think the odds are good they are just trying to steal the WWE's thunder.

[Smartmark]

^^ I guess that's Hogan's plan. Looks like he tries to recreate big things that happened ages ago, with bringing NWO back to TNA, then scrapping the 6-sided ring and making the Impact Zone look like WCW, and now this Screwjob. Can't believe that he actually are allowed to do this, and that Jarret let his little boy die like this

[Big Evil]

Yeah well that's what happens when u reach out to a guy like Hogan in order to try and get your company to that next level. He'll take it to the sky if he can... but once he does things will get very, very bad.

[Smartmark]

^^ I actually thought he would do good things to TNA, cause in the beginning it didn't seem like he would change anything. I actually thought he was there just because of the ratings, and now he is a shareholder? :eek:

[Green Lantern Hulk Hogan]

Wooooooooooooooo fatboy woooooooooooo
hulkamania is runnin wild jack!

[Smartmark]

^^ :eek:

Hogan hasn't done anything good with TNA yet. And you know it!!

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Screwjob............ what a fuckin stupid idea even dumber than OJ beating Pope and Morely beating Daniels. I mean seriously you got 2 of the world's best in the ring and this is what you come up with??? And what are they gonna base this on??? We have already seen old WCW style crap production with them not showing Flair entering AJ's room on Jan 4 and now this. The screwjob makes them look like a cheap second rate WWE rip-off tbfh

[Big Evil]

The screwjob is really a stupid idea. Makes me think that all TNA is gonna be now is stealing the ideas from old stories that heightened WWE instead of coming up with their own shit. If that is the case, then I'm done watching TNA

[Smartmark]

^^ Do you think it was staged? Or do you think Angle had no clue?

[CarnivoreJ]

It was obviously staged.

I am very new here and I realize most of you have a rapport with one another so I will try not to step on any toes, but I know because of my feelings I will.

The six sided ring was a gimmick. It was a decent gimmick and it did make certain things interesting, but ultimately it turned the average fan off. The average fan being someone like my father, or some of my friends. They would laugh at this company and its "pseudo-porn" name with the goofy looking ring. So I think it was a good idea to bring back the four sided ring for them. They have incredible talent and even after years with the six sided ring they would still flub things that are rudimentary. The ramp to the ring is silly, I'll admit that, but ultimately it is a small thing in the grand scheme.

I would, however, like to talk about what Hogan has done to the ACTUAL product, and not just the aesthetics. He has brought in more ratings, he has gotten me to watch TNA again after a long hiatus after the mess that was the MEM vs. TNA storyline. And to be honest, Nasty Boys and "The Band" aside I have been pretty much satisfied with what I have seen thus far. I am at least intrigued and have been compelled to watch every week since Hogan returned. I absolutely love the idea of the 8 man tournament and the ranking system. It seems to me they are trying to infuse a little realism back into it, which changing the ring to a traditional setting and preparing a ranking system will do world's of good for. (Though Russo probably can't handle all the logic of a tournament that does not end with a "something" on a pole match.)

With that I would like to turn my attention to the negatives. The Nasty Boys need to go. These guys are old and boring and aside from the childlike desire to see them face of against the Dudley's(in their respective primes) I have no desire for them to take up screen time and money that could be going to a Dinero or a Samoa Joe. I also have no desire to see WWE's most infamous storyline rehashed in TNA, though I will say they rebounded nicely on the Jan. 28th edition and it could still turn into an intriguing story in the end. As hinted at earlier I feel like the youth and vibrancy of their shows was always a plus. Even when I couldn't stand the illogical story-lines and break-neck pacing I always loved to see the young guys on their PPVs and even while avoiding their weekly television I would still try to catch their PPVs. I feel like many of these guys are suddenly having to take a back seat to guys like Hall and Waltman and the Nasties, as well as Orlando Jordan and Sean Morley. I love Sean Morley (seeing as he is a fellow libertarian and generally good hand in the ring) but he shouldn't be going over a guy who challenged and nearly bested the World Champion a month or two ago. STUPID BOOKING. Daniels was and is the guy who the company can truly rely on. He is a solid worker who can have great matches with every guy on the card and he should not be jobbed to a guy who was a jobber in WWE a year or two ago, He should be holding your secondary title or be involved in a high profile feud. Which brings me to my final point, Bischoff and Hogan's favoritism. Obviously some of the above points point to it, but the fact that they just don't see any talent in guys like Daniels and Eric Young reminds me of the SCSA conundrum. I feel like Bisch has no eye for talent and has always gotten lucky when he did build a star (DDP for example) and the guy became a star despite Bisch and not because of him. Hogan on the other hand is no longer in the business, but seems to prefer his "buddies" instead of talented hard working guys, which is ultimately problematic when he only has two guys who are remotely worth anything to TNA (Anderson and possibly OJ the juries out on both for now though) because the other guys are ready to delve back into past "demons" or are so fat you have to change the ramp system before they will even come to the ring.

Well that my friends is my rant. Whether you agree or disagree I hope this fosters some further conversation.

[Smartmark]

^^ I agree in much you say, though I can't say I agree in the ring-change. I'd admit that I actually likes a 4-sided ring better than a 6-sided ring, but that was TNA's gimmick and I felt they did good, and when a sudden change comes like that, I admit I lost some of my feelings for the company. My biggest problem is that Mick Foley's there and he will always be my favorite wrestler. I also like Daniels, Elijah Burke, Kurt Angle and Styles, so it would be dumb to drop it, but I made that decision, and maybe I did a mistake, dumping TNA so fast, but I feel that the only decent wrestling around are PWG, ROH and Chikara.

[CarnivoreJ]

All of which have four sided rings, because they recognize that their talent wrestles best in a traditional ring, and they don't need the ring being more charismatic than their wooden roster (well except for Chikara they have a very charismatic roster...too bad they aren't as talented)

[Smartmark]

The worst thing about mainstream promotions like WWE and TNA these days are that everything they do is to make money, and that's why the wrestling in the shows becomes badder, because they center their promotions around posterboys that sells to the kids, like Cena.

[Big Evil]

I have to admit CarnivoreJ that your post makes a ton of sense. Very well thought out. Just about every point you made is a good one and is truth instead of opinion. The biggest issue in TNA that you brought up is that Hogan and Bischoff don't seem to be looking at the roster from the right perspective. They would just as soon stand behind a guy they know and are familiar with than work with the new younger talent that has a lot more to offer. A lot of great changes have been made. I just don't see a positive future for TNA if they don't get their minds straight.

[Smartmark]

What I don't understand with the wrestlingbusiness now a days are that they keep pushing all the old guys. Misunderstand me right, I like some of the old guys, and some of them still manage to pull off some great matches and can easily put over younger guys, but they have to try new superstars.
No promotion wanted HBK back in the days when he started to wrestle, but suddenly people realized that he would be one of the greatest men in the business, and a legend!
I see many new guys who will be talked about as legends in the future, the only problem is that they don't get pushed.

[Travicity]

Lot more to good wrestling than ROH/Chikara and PWG dude. ROH's not as good as it used to be.

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

will u stop it witrh RoH, PWG etc. They are never gonna go big. Coming back to the rant I somewhat agree with ur opinions on the ring. TNA and Russo have always had a lotta gimmicks and that ring was kind of a symbol of that. I am not a huge fan on the ramp leading straight to the ring ala CMLL that's just stupid but then again Hogan,Nash,Flair al have bad knees so I understand But yeah it looks stupid I mean Beautiful People get off the ramp halfway and go to the other side for their entrance when it would be easier to do the ass-shaking and kiss-teasing entering from the ramp itself. I also agree on the favouritism part its really dumb and storyline stealing was the last thing we need. i wastched some of Genesis this past week and I gotta admit I kinda like it but then again this is a work in progress Hogan and Eric are building from scratch so give them a chance. Also they need to get rid off Knobbs and Sags ASAP

[Smartmark]

^^ Who said that ROH or PWG will be big? It's not important as long as they give the fans decent wrestling!

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

It doesn't matter what they provide to their 100 odd fans they don't have mass appeal something that TNA and WWE have

[Smartmark]

^^ Because WWE and TNA's fanbase are kids! Most of the roster in WWE and TNA can't even wrestle