The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
The State of TNA
The State of TNA
Good day everyone, it's been a long time since I sat down and collated my thoughts about the state of wrestling today. Over the coming weeks I hope to address all the major federations and both sides of the WWE coin, raw and smackdown, but this time I'm going to be taking a look at NWA:TNA
The arrival of TNA's new Impact television show has certainly had an 'impact' on the roster and the product, if you'll excuse the pun. In the week prior to the TV launch and the weeks between then and now, the roster seems to have endured a major case of re-shuffling, with some superstars benefiting and some getting lost in the shuffle. TNA recognised the need for credibility of it's Heavyweight title and duly moved those out of the picture who haven't become stars in other federations. Chris Harris, who had been built up as a legitimate contender for the World title, suddenly found himself pushed back into the Tag Team ranks and
AJ Styles was sent back to the X-Division, leaving Raven, Jeff Jarrett and Ron 'The Truth' Killings (aka K-Kwik) to feud it out over TNA's premier strap. In doing this TNA have made their world title look credible, by using names which are not only unlikely to leave the company in the near future, unlike the plethora of unreliable, expensive desperados they could have brought in (see Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall...) but on the downside their title is being contested by guys who are recognised as failures in the WWE, meaning while this continues, they will always be seen as second best to the WWE. Ron Killings seems to have gained the most from this re-shuffle as he seemed completely lost in TNA ever since he lost the World Title last year having beaten original TNA champ Ken Shamrock for the belt.
This upheaval resulted in a manic plethora of title changes, The world title changing hands a few times in a few weeks before finally settling on Jarrett. Raven is now the only of the premier trio to have never held the world title, a clever move by TNA, as he looks the most legitimate champion of the three and doesn't need the added prestige of being a former multiple time World Champ like Jarrett and Killings. AJ Styles regained the X-Division title lending it the credibility it was losing by being contested by future (although not quite there yet) stars like Michael Shane, Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin. Styles has so far defended against one-off/short-term talents like Jeff Hardy, which make
himself and the belt look strong, whilst the real contenders (Kid Kash,
Christopher Daniels) wait in the wings. Although I personally feel Styles should be main-evening and being pushed as TNA's legitimate 'home-grown' champion, his presence in this division certainly means we have some top notch wrestling to look forward to, as he goes against X-Division workers who can work to his level, which in all fairness the likes of Jarrett and Raven cannot. (Although a Killings/Styles World Title feud would undoubtedly put TNA on the map as a serious 'wrestling' fed).
The Tag Team titles, which haven't meant anything for weeks after being bounced around makeshift teams like D'Lo Brown and Apollo, Kid Kash and Dallas and James Storm and Dusty Rhodes, have finally returned home to the outright 'best' team in TNA, America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm), although for how long they can stay in a Tag Team division bereft of any decent opposition remains to be seen. Their current feud with the talented but very green 'Naturals' will go some way to defining what the Tag Team scene of TNA becomes in the future. I do feel that TNA needs to strengthen this division and that throwing former X-Division cup team mates in as random teams is not going to work. Bringing in some quality teams from the indie scene, such as The Briscoes and The Backseat Boys might be something they should take a look at.
The Undercard of TNA currently scores very highly. Sabu is still around,
although he has yet to commit to a written contract, how his feud with Raven goes over with the fans will probably determine how long he will stick around for.Jerry Lynn too, despite now being the wrong side of 40, is still more talented than 2/3s of the WWE Roster. There is also a plethora of talent just waiting to be tapped, with the likes of Shark Boy, Kazarian, Sabin, Low-Ki, Elix Skipper etc all being potential show-stealers. There is also untapped sources of charisma in the forms of Sonny Siaki and 'Irish' Pat Kenny (The former Simon Diamond) The only dark clouds hovering are TNA's apparent wish to put useless, but large, workers like Abyss and Monty Brown over by squashing the talented workers and storylines which demonstrate everything bad about Vince Russo (David Young's losing streak, The NYC's embarrassment). If TNA can keep the talent levels up and push the trash TV to one side, then they could become a serious alternative to the WWE, at least for those who like in-ring action over dumb storylines. All they need to do is stop trying to be the next WWE and start trying to be the first TNA...It'll certainly be interesting too see how they fare.
The State of TNA
Good day everyone, it's been a long time since I sat down and collated my thoughts about the state of wrestling today. Over the coming weeks I hope to address all the major federations and both sides of the WWE coin, raw and smackdown, but this time I'm going to be taking a look at NWA:TNA
The arrival of TNA's new Impact television show has certainly had an 'impact' on the roster and the product, if you'll excuse the pun. In the week prior to the TV launch and the weeks between then and now, the roster seems to have endured a major case of re-shuffling, with some superstars benefiting and some getting lost in the shuffle. TNA recognised the need for credibility of it's Heavyweight title and duly moved those out of the picture who haven't become stars in other federations. Chris Harris, who had been built up as a legitimate contender for the World title, suddenly found himself pushed back into the Tag Team ranks and
AJ Styles was sent back to the X-Division, leaving Raven, Jeff Jarrett and Ron 'The Truth' Killings (aka K-Kwik) to feud it out over TNA's premier strap. In doing this TNA have made their world title look credible, by using names which are not only unlikely to leave the company in the near future, unlike the plethora of unreliable, expensive desperados they could have brought in (see Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall...) but on the downside their title is being contested by guys who are recognised as failures in the WWE, meaning while this continues, they will always be seen as second best to the WWE. Ron Killings seems to have gained the most from this re-shuffle as he seemed completely lost in TNA ever since he lost the World Title last year having beaten original TNA champ Ken Shamrock for the belt.
This upheaval resulted in a manic plethora of title changes, The world title changing hands a few times in a few weeks before finally settling on Jarrett. Raven is now the only of the premier trio to have never held the world title, a clever move by TNA, as he looks the most legitimate champion of the three and doesn't need the added prestige of being a former multiple time World Champ like Jarrett and Killings. AJ Styles regained the X-Division title lending it the credibility it was losing by being contested by future (although not quite there yet) stars like Michael Shane, Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin. Styles has so far defended against one-off/short-term talents like Jeff Hardy, which make
himself and the belt look strong, whilst the real contenders (Kid Kash,
Christopher Daniels) wait in the wings. Although I personally feel Styles should be main-evening and being pushed as TNA's legitimate 'home-grown' champion, his presence in this division certainly means we have some top notch wrestling to look forward to, as he goes against X-Division workers who can work to his level, which in all fairness the likes of Jarrett and Raven cannot. (Although a Killings/Styles World Title feud would undoubtedly put TNA on the map as a serious 'wrestling' fed).
The Tag Team titles, which haven't meant anything for weeks after being bounced around makeshift teams like D'Lo Brown and Apollo, Kid Kash and Dallas and James Storm and Dusty Rhodes, have finally returned home to the outright 'best' team in TNA, America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm), although for how long they can stay in a Tag Team division bereft of any decent opposition remains to be seen. Their current feud with the talented but very green 'Naturals' will go some way to defining what the Tag Team scene of TNA becomes in the future. I do feel that TNA needs to strengthen this division and that throwing former X-Division cup team mates in as random teams is not going to work. Bringing in some quality teams from the indie scene, such as The Briscoes and The Backseat Boys might be something they should take a look at.
The Undercard of TNA currently scores very highly. Sabu is still around,
although he has yet to commit to a written contract, how his feud with Raven goes over with the fans will probably determine how long he will stick around for.Jerry Lynn too, despite now being the wrong side of 40, is still more talented than 2/3s of the WWE Roster. There is also a plethora of talent just waiting to be tapped, with the likes of Shark Boy, Kazarian, Sabin, Low-Ki, Elix Skipper etc all being potential show-stealers. There is also untapped sources of charisma in the forms of Sonny Siaki and 'Irish' Pat Kenny (The former Simon Diamond) The only dark clouds hovering are TNA's apparent wish to put useless, but large, workers like Abyss and Monty Brown over by squashing the talented workers and storylines which demonstrate everything bad about Vince Russo (David Young's losing streak, The NYC's embarrassment). If TNA can keep the talent levels up and push the trash TV to one side, then they could become a serious alternative to the WWE, at least for those who like in-ring action over dumb storylines. All they need to do is stop trying to be the next WWE and start trying to be the first TNA...It'll certainly be interesting too see how they fare.
Grandprix wrote:
> Nice thoughts. I don't watch enough TNA on the Wrestling Channel but I
> hear a few things every now and then. A bit down the line and they
> could be a serious alternative to the WWE.
>
> I like the idea of this. Don't get me started on the WWE or I'll be
> here all week. :)
I'm working on a 'State of Raw' and 'State of Smackdown' columns too. Obviously these take a bit more work than a TNA one, bvut they should be up at some point.
> Nice thoughts. I don't watch enough TNA on the Wrestling Channel but I
> hear a few things every now and then. A bit down the line and they
> could be a serious alternative to the WWE.
>
> I like the idea of this. Don't get me started on the WWE or I'll be
> here all week. :)
I'm working on a 'State of Raw' and 'State of Smackdown' columns too. Obviously these take a bit more work than a TNA one, bvut they should be up at some point.
Yeah, good post. I've watched a few TNA shows but not enough to really comment on them. I thought the shows seemed good and I agree with you on AJ Styles. He seemed a good wrestler who should be challenging for the Heavyweight title there.
Nice thoughts. I don't watch enough TNA on the Wrestling Channel but I hear a few things every now and then. A bit down the line and they could be a serious alternative to the WWE.
I like the idea of this. Don't get me started on the WWE or I'll be here all week. :)
I like the idea of this. Don't get me started on the WWE or I'll be here all week. :)
The State of TNA
The State of TNA
Good day everyone, it's been a long time since I sat down and collated my thoughts about the state of wrestling today. Over the coming weeks I hope to address all the major federations and both sides of the WWE coin, raw and smackdown, but this time I'm going to be taking a look at NWA:TNA
The arrival of TNA's new Impact television show has certainly had an 'impact' on the roster and the product, if you'll excuse the pun. In the week prior to the TV launch and the weeks between then and now, the roster seems to have endured a major case of re-shuffling, with some superstars benefiting and some getting lost in the shuffle. TNA recognised the need for credibility of it's Heavyweight title and duly moved those out of the picture who haven't become stars in other federations. Chris Harris, who had been built up as a legitimate contender for the World title, suddenly found himself pushed back into the Tag Team ranks and
AJ Styles was sent back to the X-Division, leaving Raven, Jeff Jarrett and Ron 'The Truth' Killings (aka K-Kwik) to feud it out over TNA's premier strap. In doing this TNA have made their world title look credible, by using names which are not only unlikely to leave the company in the near future, unlike the plethora of unreliable, expensive desperados they could have brought in (see Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall...) but on the downside their title is being contested by guys who are recognised as failures in the WWE, meaning while this continues, they will always be seen as second best to the WWE. Ron Killings seems to have gained the most from this re-shuffle as he seemed completely lost in TNA ever since he lost the World Title last year having beaten original TNA champ Ken Shamrock for the belt.
This upheaval resulted in a manic plethora of title changes, The world title changing hands a few times in a few weeks before finally settling on Jarrett. Raven is now the only of the premier trio to have never held the world title, a clever move by TNA, as he looks the most legitimate champion of the three and doesn't need the added prestige of being a former multiple time World Champ like Jarrett and Killings. AJ Styles regained the X-Division title lending it the credibility it was losing by being contested by future (although not quite there yet) stars like Michael Shane, Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin. Styles has so far defended against one-off/short-term talents like Jeff Hardy, which make
himself and the belt look strong, whilst the real contenders (Kid Kash,
Christopher Daniels) wait in the wings. Although I personally feel Styles should be main-evening and being pushed as TNA's legitimate 'home-grown' champion, his presence in this division certainly means we have some top notch wrestling to look forward to, as he goes against X-Division workers who can work to his level, which in all fairness the likes of Jarrett and Raven cannot. (Although a Killings/Styles World Title feud would undoubtedly put TNA on the map as a serious 'wrestling' fed).
The Tag Team titles, which haven't meant anything for weeks after being bounced around makeshift teams like D'Lo Brown and Apollo, Kid Kash and Dallas and James Storm and Dusty Rhodes, have finally returned home to the outright 'best' team in TNA, America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm), although for how long they can stay in a Tag Team division bereft of any decent opposition remains to be seen. Their current feud with the talented but very green 'Naturals' will go some way to defining what the Tag Team scene of TNA becomes in the future. I do feel that TNA needs to strengthen this division and that throwing former X-Division cup team mates in as random teams is not going to work. Bringing in some quality teams from the indie scene, such as The Briscoes and The Backseat Boys might be something they should take a look at.
The Undercard of TNA currently scores very highly. Sabu is still around,
although he has yet to commit to a written contract, how his feud with Raven goes over with the fans will probably determine how long he will stick around for.Jerry Lynn too, despite now being the wrong side of 40, is still more talented than 2/3s of the WWE Roster. There is also a plethora of talent just waiting to be tapped, with the likes of Shark Boy, Kazarian, Sabin, Low-Ki, Elix Skipper etc all being potential show-stealers. There is also untapped sources of charisma in the forms of Sonny Siaki and 'Irish' Pat Kenny (The former Simon Diamond) The only dark clouds hovering are TNA's apparent wish to put useless, but large, workers like Abyss and Monty Brown over by squashing the talented workers and storylines which demonstrate everything bad about Vince Russo (David Young's losing streak, The NYC's embarrassment). If TNA can keep the talent levels up and push the trash TV to one side, then they could become a serious alternative to the WWE, at least for those who like in-ring action over dumb storylines. All they need to do is stop trying to be the next WWE and start trying to be the first TNA...It'll certainly be interesting too see how they fare.
The State of TNA
Good day everyone, it's been a long time since I sat down and collated my thoughts about the state of wrestling today. Over the coming weeks I hope to address all the major federations and both sides of the WWE coin, raw and smackdown, but this time I'm going to be taking a look at NWA:TNA
The arrival of TNA's new Impact television show has certainly had an 'impact' on the roster and the product, if you'll excuse the pun. In the week prior to the TV launch and the weeks between then and now, the roster seems to have endured a major case of re-shuffling, with some superstars benefiting and some getting lost in the shuffle. TNA recognised the need for credibility of it's Heavyweight title and duly moved those out of the picture who haven't become stars in other federations. Chris Harris, who had been built up as a legitimate contender for the World title, suddenly found himself pushed back into the Tag Team ranks and
AJ Styles was sent back to the X-Division, leaving Raven, Jeff Jarrett and Ron 'The Truth' Killings (aka K-Kwik) to feud it out over TNA's premier strap. In doing this TNA have made their world title look credible, by using names which are not only unlikely to leave the company in the near future, unlike the plethora of unreliable, expensive desperados they could have brought in (see Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall...) but on the downside their title is being contested by guys who are recognised as failures in the WWE, meaning while this continues, they will always be seen as second best to the WWE. Ron Killings seems to have gained the most from this re-shuffle as he seemed completely lost in TNA ever since he lost the World Title last year having beaten original TNA champ Ken Shamrock for the belt.
This upheaval resulted in a manic plethora of title changes, The world title changing hands a few times in a few weeks before finally settling on Jarrett. Raven is now the only of the premier trio to have never held the world title, a clever move by TNA, as he looks the most legitimate champion of the three and doesn't need the added prestige of being a former multiple time World Champ like Jarrett and Killings. AJ Styles regained the X-Division title lending it the credibility it was losing by being contested by future (although not quite there yet) stars like Michael Shane, Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin. Styles has so far defended against one-off/short-term talents like Jeff Hardy, which make
himself and the belt look strong, whilst the real contenders (Kid Kash,
Christopher Daniels) wait in the wings. Although I personally feel Styles should be main-evening and being pushed as TNA's legitimate 'home-grown' champion, his presence in this division certainly means we have some top notch wrestling to look forward to, as he goes against X-Division workers who can work to his level, which in all fairness the likes of Jarrett and Raven cannot. (Although a Killings/Styles World Title feud would undoubtedly put TNA on the map as a serious 'wrestling' fed).
The Tag Team titles, which haven't meant anything for weeks after being bounced around makeshift teams like D'Lo Brown and Apollo, Kid Kash and Dallas and James Storm and Dusty Rhodes, have finally returned home to the outright 'best' team in TNA, America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm), although for how long they can stay in a Tag Team division bereft of any decent opposition remains to be seen. Their current feud with the talented but very green 'Naturals' will go some way to defining what the Tag Team scene of TNA becomes in the future. I do feel that TNA needs to strengthen this division and that throwing former X-Division cup team mates in as random teams is not going to work. Bringing in some quality teams from the indie scene, such as The Briscoes and The Backseat Boys might be something they should take a look at.
The Undercard of TNA currently scores very highly. Sabu is still around,
although he has yet to commit to a written contract, how his feud with Raven goes over with the fans will probably determine how long he will stick around for.Jerry Lynn too, despite now being the wrong side of 40, is still more talented than 2/3s of the WWE Roster. There is also a plethora of talent just waiting to be tapped, with the likes of Shark Boy, Kazarian, Sabin, Low-Ki, Elix Skipper etc all being potential show-stealers. There is also untapped sources of charisma in the forms of Sonny Siaki and 'Irish' Pat Kenny (The former Simon Diamond) The only dark clouds hovering are TNA's apparent wish to put useless, but large, workers like Abyss and Monty Brown over by squashing the talented workers and storylines which demonstrate everything bad about Vince Russo (David Young's losing streak, The NYC's embarrassment). If TNA can keep the talent levels up and push the trash TV to one side, then they could become a serious alternative to the WWE, at least for those who like in-ring action over dumb storylines. All they need to do is stop trying to be the next WWE and start trying to be the first TNA...It'll certainly be interesting too see how they fare.