Showing posts with label spin cycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spin cycle. Show all posts
February 02, 2015
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December 09, 2013
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June 02, 2013
September 25, 2012
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January 01, 2011
June 03, 2010
TNAsylum Spin Cycle 6/02/10
Recently I was invited by Talon Thorne to participate in the first ever TNA Asylum Spin Cycle for his new website. Below is my contribution to the column.
1) Slammiversary will represent the 8 year Anniversary of TNA. In your opinion, where does TNA sit when talking about success and quality?
Something TNA loves to mention over and over again is that most people said they wouldn't last 6 months. Now they're a profitable company 8 years later. That in itself is a huge success they should be proud of. However, when talking about quality, you only need to take one look at the TV show to know that TNA needs to shut their pie hole. The product has been getting progressively worse for several years now. The Main Event Mafia burying all the young talent for an entire year was bad enough, but just when that had been done away with, Hogan & Bischoff showed up, and ever since then, they've been systematically destroying everything that made TNA what it is.
There is no excuse for the show they're putting on right now. Pushing no-talent idiots like Orlando Jordan and Rob Terry, bringing in worthless has beens like Scott Hall and the Nasty Boys, putting Sting back in the world title picture when no one voted for him in the polls, giving themselves hugely excessive amounts of screen time that should be going to the young talent, the complete burial of the Knockouts and X-division, idiotic creative decisions that no one in their right mind would make. Do I have to go on?
Is TNA a successful company? Yeah. But as we can see, clear as day, success is not necessarily determined by quality.
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2) What was TNA's best year and why?
Probably '05-'06. Back then, TNA still had an identity and they were proud of it. They weren't trying to beat the WWE at their own game (which is impossible), they were just trying to be as good as they could be, and it showed. To look at what TNA was delivering back then as compared to what they're delivering now is, quite frankly, pretty depressing.
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3) What were your favorite TNA moments from its 8 year history?
When the X-division was at its peak and those guys were delivering fantastic matches that really meant something every single night. When the Knockout division actually felt important and they were delivering matches the WWE Divas couldn't touch. This was when TNA had a clear alternative to many key weaknesses in the WWE product and they reveled in it. The Unbreakable 3-way, Gail vs. Kong, when the Ultimate-X actually had feuds that built up to it rather than just being a randomly thrown together, meaningless spotfest to pop the crowd. It didn't get better than that.
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4) TNA seems to have scrapped the King of the Mountain concept for Slammiversary. What are your feelings on this?
This is a stupid idea, and one that I really don't understand. Bischoff has been so adamant about giving each PPV a distinct identity and now he's taken away the match that made Slammiversary stand out from all the other PPVs TNA puts on all year. And to make matters worse, the match they're giving us instead is Rob Van Dam vs. Sting, a guy who (judging by his continued low placement in the polls) no one even wants to see in this spot.
Plus, Sting can't go anymore. It's obvious. It was obvious a year and a half ago when he phoned in his performance at Genesis. All due respect to the man, but the bottom line is he just doesn't have it in the ring. And now we're going into one of the biggest PPVs of the year and instead of being excited for the main event, we're wondering if the world champion will even be able to carry his challenger to a good match. Someone please explain to me how this is better than King of the Mountain.
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5) Knowing what you know about this year's Slammiversary lineup, how does it hold up to years past?
This is quite possibly the most underwhelming card in Slammiversary history. Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal, Sting vs. RVD, the Band vs. Matt Morgan and a mystery partner, etc, etc... I'm not excited for any of these matches because TNA hasn't given me a reason to be excited about them. The build up has been lackluster at best, I don't expect these matches to be very good and in most cases, the payoff is something I'm not even interested in. I don't want Sting to be the world champion, the Band as tag team champions are an absolute joke, but I don't want Morgan to win the tag titles back either. Instead, I'm just wondering why the MCMG aren't getting their tag title shot here, why AJ Styles isn't in the main event instead of a 50-year-old Sting, and so on. This is not only a weak-looking card on paper, it's probably one of the weaker cards put together by the Hogan/Bischoff regime so far, and that's saying something.
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6) Pretending TNA created a Hall of Fame tomorrow, who would be your number one nomination?
Come on, that's easy. Who else but AJ Styles?
-----
Thanks for reading. To read what the other panelists had to say, check out the TNA Asylum Spin Cycle at TNAsylum.com.
1) Slammiversary will represent the 8 year Anniversary of TNA. In your opinion, where does TNA sit when talking about success and quality?
Something TNA loves to mention over and over again is that most people said they wouldn't last 6 months. Now they're a profitable company 8 years later. That in itself is a huge success they should be proud of. However, when talking about quality, you only need to take one look at the TV show to know that TNA needs to shut their pie hole. The product has been getting progressively worse for several years now. The Main Event Mafia burying all the young talent for an entire year was bad enough, but just when that had been done away with, Hogan & Bischoff showed up, and ever since then, they've been systematically destroying everything that made TNA what it is.
There is no excuse for the show they're putting on right now. Pushing no-talent idiots like Orlando Jordan and Rob Terry, bringing in worthless has beens like Scott Hall and the Nasty Boys, putting Sting back in the world title picture when no one voted for him in the polls, giving themselves hugely excessive amounts of screen time that should be going to the young talent, the complete burial of the Knockouts and X-division, idiotic creative decisions that no one in their right mind would make. Do I have to go on?
Is TNA a successful company? Yeah. But as we can see, clear as day, success is not necessarily determined by quality.
-----
2) What was TNA's best year and why?
Probably '05-'06. Back then, TNA still had an identity and they were proud of it. They weren't trying to beat the WWE at their own game (which is impossible), they were just trying to be as good as they could be, and it showed. To look at what TNA was delivering back then as compared to what they're delivering now is, quite frankly, pretty depressing.
-----
3) What were your favorite TNA moments from its 8 year history?
When the X-division was at its peak and those guys were delivering fantastic matches that really meant something every single night. When the Knockout division actually felt important and they were delivering matches the WWE Divas couldn't touch. This was when TNA had a clear alternative to many key weaknesses in the WWE product and they reveled in it. The Unbreakable 3-way, Gail vs. Kong, when the Ultimate-X actually had feuds that built up to it rather than just being a randomly thrown together, meaningless spotfest to pop the crowd. It didn't get better than that.
-----
4) TNA seems to have scrapped the King of the Mountain concept for Slammiversary. What are your feelings on this?
This is a stupid idea, and one that I really don't understand. Bischoff has been so adamant about giving each PPV a distinct identity and now he's taken away the match that made Slammiversary stand out from all the other PPVs TNA puts on all year. And to make matters worse, the match they're giving us instead is Rob Van Dam vs. Sting, a guy who (judging by his continued low placement in the polls) no one even wants to see in this spot.
Plus, Sting can't go anymore. It's obvious. It was obvious a year and a half ago when he phoned in his performance at Genesis. All due respect to the man, but the bottom line is he just doesn't have it in the ring. And now we're going into one of the biggest PPVs of the year and instead of being excited for the main event, we're wondering if the world champion will even be able to carry his challenger to a good match. Someone please explain to me how this is better than King of the Mountain.
-----
5) Knowing what you know about this year's Slammiversary lineup, how does it hold up to years past?
This is quite possibly the most underwhelming card in Slammiversary history. Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal, Sting vs. RVD, the Band vs. Matt Morgan and a mystery partner, etc, etc... I'm not excited for any of these matches because TNA hasn't given me a reason to be excited about them. The build up has been lackluster at best, I don't expect these matches to be very good and in most cases, the payoff is something I'm not even interested in. I don't want Sting to be the world champion, the Band as tag team champions are an absolute joke, but I don't want Morgan to win the tag titles back either. Instead, I'm just wondering why the MCMG aren't getting their tag title shot here, why AJ Styles isn't in the main event instead of a 50-year-old Sting, and so on. This is not only a weak-looking card on paper, it's probably one of the weaker cards put together by the Hogan/Bischoff regime so far, and that's saying something.
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6) Pretending TNA created a Hall of Fame tomorrow, who would be your number one nomination?
Come on, that's easy. Who else but AJ Styles?
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Thanks for reading. To read what the other panelists had to say, check out the TNA Asylum Spin Cycle at TNAsylum.com.
May 15, 2010
TNA Insider Spin Cycle
A few days ago, I was asked by Talon Thorne to take part in my second TNA Insider Spin Cycle. Below is my contribution to the column.
1. In your opinion, was the experiment on Mondays a good risk or did it hurt the product in the long run?
Probably both. Ratings-wise, money-wise, it was a colossal failure that definitely hurt and embarrassed the company, and no one can deny that -- not even TNA themselves, no matter how much they try to. However, it may have been worth it in the long run as it was an excellent sobering experience that may serve them well as a cautionary tale in the future. Now they know that just because Hogan & Bischoff want the company to do something, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea and it doesn't mean it will be automatically successful. Hopefully, this will be a wakeup call for Dixie Carter, who seemed to think these guys had the Midas Touch up until now. If the Monday Night Experiment proved anything, it's that that is indeed NOT the case.
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2. TNA has had 4 PPVs with one more this week. What PPV did you think held up best and overall has TNA’s PPV experience been a success in 2010?
Good grief, that's like asking which half-rotten fruit I was able to keep down the longest without puking. Of the 4 we've seen, Lockdown was the best, which is not to say it was a great show. None of them have been particularly great, but Lockdown probably had the most good on it, despite having a lot of crap thrown in as well. Angle/Anderson, AJ/Pope, 2 X-division matches and Lethal Lockdown until the horrible finish were enough to offset the terrible Knockouts match, the Hogan/Flair/Bischoff crap and the abortion of booking logic that forced us to endure a 50-year-old Kevin Nash wrestling not once, but TWICE.
Has TNA's PPV experience in 2010 been a success? Um... NO! For all the proof you need, just look at the last 2 PPVs before Hogan & Bischoff took over. Turning Point & Final Resolution both had better booking, much better cards and overall had better matches than anything these guys have produced.
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3. What are your top 3 favorite moments/matches from TNA in 2010?
1. SARITA & TAYLOR WILDE (c) vs. AWESOME KONG & HAMADA
-- iMPACT, 1/04/10.
The first and unfortunately last truly great Knockouts match of the Hogan/Bischoff era and a sad glimmer of what the Knockout tag team division could have and should have been before the entire women's roster devolved into a tits & ass sideshow which pushed the Beautiful People and Tara to the moon at the expense of every other woman in the company.
2. ULTIMATE-X: MCMG vs. GENERATION ME
-- Destination-X.
Probably one of the most well-booked and exciting Ultimate-X matches in TNA history and a reminder of how great a feud between these teams COULD be if the writers had actually let them have more than 2 freaking matches before ending it for some insane reason.
3. KURT ANGLE vs. MR. ANDERSON
-- Lockdown.
A fantastic match of the year candidate, which helped elevate what had been a disappointing show up until that point, turning it into something that was actually worth paying money to see.
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4. Do you see Tara’s departure from the company as a good or bad thing for TNA?
Both. It's bad because she was inexplicably one of the only women that the writers seemed to genuinely want to devote TV time to, without whom the division may become even more of an afterthought than it is now. On the other hand, it's a good thing because Tara's entire run in TNA was pretty underwhelming, and with her gone, it may force the writers to finally do something with the other women who have been sitting on the sidelines for months while Tara got all the spotlight despite not delivering well enough to deserve it. Sarita/Taylor Wilde/Hamada > Tara
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5. Out of the recently released wrestlers from WWE, which one do you see having the most potential and why?
Mickie James. She was the top Diva, the most popular woman in WWE for years and was fired in a way that pissed a lot of her fans off. More than any of the others, Mickie is the person that could make the biggest splash in TNA. The Knockouts just lost the woman the whole division was built around (again). Imagine if Tara left, and then all of a sudden, Mickie showed up to fill the void; fans would go nuts for that! I would still prefer they refocus and make better use of the girls they already have, but I wouldn't fault them for signing Mickie as bringing her in would make a lot of sense, unlike some of those others.
The only other recent release I could see doing well in TNA is Shelton Benjamin and even he's kind of iffy at this point. Call me crazy if you want, but I think the ship has sailed with that guy. Incredible athlete? Sure. But does he have anything else to offer? Not really. He was in WWE for years, flirted with the main event at times, but never rose higher than midcard status. If you can score multiple wins over HHH and afterward sink right back to where you were before, there's something wrong with that. Frankly, there isn't really anything Shelton can do that others in TNA can't do along with a lot of other stuff.
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6. What are your thoughts on the Bischoff and Hogan regime so far?
Well, let's see...
-Knockout division -- turned into a carbon copy of the WWE Divas division.
-X-division -- almost an afterthought despite Bischoff's claims that he loves it.
-Tag Team division -- nearly buried by Matt Morgan and the current champions are 2 fat, half-crippled senior citizens (Hall & Nash).
-Abyss, the one young guy on the roster that has had a strong, sustained (if idiotic) push, has been a complete failure if his continued placement in the rock bottom spot on TNA's heavyweight ranking poll is any indication, while the guy who routinely comes in #1 on the poll by a huge margin, Desmond Wolfe, has gone from hot rising star to glorified enhancement talent disguised as a main eventer.
-The top 5 heels in the company recently beat up all the top faces on the show, only to then get their collective asses kicked by Hulk Hogan all by himself, showing every fan watching that a broken down 60-year-old man > every member of the TNA roster combined.
-They gave Rob Van Dam the world title as a ratings stunt and one week later, iMPACT scored the lowest rating in its entire history, prompting SpikeTV to move the show back to Thursdays immediately.
-A no-talent piece of garbage with an offensive, exploitatively gay gimmick is now feuding with a no-talent 'roid-monkey who botches every 5 seconds over a championship that was literally created as a joke.
I could go on, but I think my point has been made.
My opinion of the Hogan/Bischoff regime so far: IT SUCKS!
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Hope you guys enjoyed it. You can read what 404, Jonfostersucks and Talon had to say by clicking here.
1. In your opinion, was the experiment on Mondays a good risk or did it hurt the product in the long run?
Probably both. Ratings-wise, money-wise, it was a colossal failure that definitely hurt and embarrassed the company, and no one can deny that -- not even TNA themselves, no matter how much they try to. However, it may have been worth it in the long run as it was an excellent sobering experience that may serve them well as a cautionary tale in the future. Now they know that just because Hogan & Bischoff want the company to do something, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea and it doesn't mean it will be automatically successful. Hopefully, this will be a wakeup call for Dixie Carter, who seemed to think these guys had the Midas Touch up until now. If the Monday Night Experiment proved anything, it's that that is indeed NOT the case.
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2. TNA has had 4 PPVs with one more this week. What PPV did you think held up best and overall has TNA’s PPV experience been a success in 2010?
Good grief, that's like asking which half-rotten fruit I was able to keep down the longest without puking. Of the 4 we've seen, Lockdown was the best, which is not to say it was a great show. None of them have been particularly great, but Lockdown probably had the most good on it, despite having a lot of crap thrown in as well. Angle/Anderson, AJ/Pope, 2 X-division matches and Lethal Lockdown until the horrible finish were enough to offset the terrible Knockouts match, the Hogan/Flair/Bischoff crap and the abortion of booking logic that forced us to endure a 50-year-old Kevin Nash wrestling not once, but TWICE.
Has TNA's PPV experience in 2010 been a success? Um... NO! For all the proof you need, just look at the last 2 PPVs before Hogan & Bischoff took over. Turning Point & Final Resolution both had better booking, much better cards and overall had better matches than anything these guys have produced.
-----
3. What are your top 3 favorite moments/matches from TNA in 2010?
1. SARITA & TAYLOR WILDE (c) vs. AWESOME KONG & HAMADA
-- iMPACT, 1/04/10.
The first and unfortunately last truly great Knockouts match of the Hogan/Bischoff era and a sad glimmer of what the Knockout tag team division could have and should have been before the entire women's roster devolved into a tits & ass sideshow which pushed the Beautiful People and Tara to the moon at the expense of every other woman in the company.
2. ULTIMATE-X: MCMG vs. GENERATION ME
-- Destination-X.
Probably one of the most well-booked and exciting Ultimate-X matches in TNA history and a reminder of how great a feud between these teams COULD be if the writers had actually let them have more than 2 freaking matches before ending it for some insane reason.
3. KURT ANGLE vs. MR. ANDERSON
-- Lockdown.
A fantastic match of the year candidate, which helped elevate what had been a disappointing show up until that point, turning it into something that was actually worth paying money to see.
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4. Do you see Tara’s departure from the company as a good or bad thing for TNA?
Both. It's bad because she was inexplicably one of the only women that the writers seemed to genuinely want to devote TV time to, without whom the division may become even more of an afterthought than it is now. On the other hand, it's a good thing because Tara's entire run in TNA was pretty underwhelming, and with her gone, it may force the writers to finally do something with the other women who have been sitting on the sidelines for months while Tara got all the spotlight despite not delivering well enough to deserve it. Sarita/Taylor Wilde/Hamada > Tara
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5. Out of the recently released wrestlers from WWE, which one do you see having the most potential and why?
Mickie James. She was the top Diva, the most popular woman in WWE for years and was fired in a way that pissed a lot of her fans off. More than any of the others, Mickie is the person that could make the biggest splash in TNA. The Knockouts just lost the woman the whole division was built around (again). Imagine if Tara left, and then all of a sudden, Mickie showed up to fill the void; fans would go nuts for that! I would still prefer they refocus and make better use of the girls they already have, but I wouldn't fault them for signing Mickie as bringing her in would make a lot of sense, unlike some of those others.
The only other recent release I could see doing well in TNA is Shelton Benjamin and even he's kind of iffy at this point. Call me crazy if you want, but I think the ship has sailed with that guy. Incredible athlete? Sure. But does he have anything else to offer? Not really. He was in WWE for years, flirted with the main event at times, but never rose higher than midcard status. If you can score multiple wins over HHH and afterward sink right back to where you were before, there's something wrong with that. Frankly, there isn't really anything Shelton can do that others in TNA can't do along with a lot of other stuff.
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6. What are your thoughts on the Bischoff and Hogan regime so far?
Well, let's see...
-Knockout division -- turned into a carbon copy of the WWE Divas division.
-X-division -- almost an afterthought despite Bischoff's claims that he loves it.
-Tag Team division -- nearly buried by Matt Morgan and the current champions are 2 fat, half-crippled senior citizens (Hall & Nash).
-Abyss, the one young guy on the roster that has had a strong, sustained (if idiotic) push, has been a complete failure if his continued placement in the rock bottom spot on TNA's heavyweight ranking poll is any indication, while the guy who routinely comes in #1 on the poll by a huge margin, Desmond Wolfe, has gone from hot rising star to glorified enhancement talent disguised as a main eventer.
-The top 5 heels in the company recently beat up all the top faces on the show, only to then get their collective asses kicked by Hulk Hogan all by himself, showing every fan watching that a broken down 60-year-old man > every member of the TNA roster combined.
-They gave Rob Van Dam the world title as a ratings stunt and one week later, iMPACT scored the lowest rating in its entire history, prompting SpikeTV to move the show back to Thursdays immediately.
-A no-talent piece of garbage with an offensive, exploitatively gay gimmick is now feuding with a no-talent 'roid-monkey who botches every 5 seconds over a championship that was literally created as a joke.
I could go on, but I think my point has been made.
My opinion of the Hogan/Bischoff regime so far: IT SUCKS!
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Hope you guys enjoyed it. You can read what 404, Jonfostersucks and Talon had to say by clicking here.
December 06, 2009
TNA Insider Spin Cycle
Recently, Talon Thorne, one of the founders of TNAinsider.com, invited me to participate in the first ever 'Insider Spin Cycle'. Check it out!
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1. In your opinion, how would 2009 in TNA rate up there against past years?
(Talon) This was a tale of two halves for TNA. The first half of the year was a mix between solid and horrific programming from TNA. Up until the changing of the guard, we saw a lack of consistency with programming. There was definitely some strong programming, but it was overshadowed by the same old crap.
Following Victory Road, things got much better. The product was the same but the main players were different. Because guys like AJ Styles, Daniels and younger studs were featured more, the match quality went up and so did the quality of the show. Victory Road was horrible, Hard Justice was a vast improvement, No Surrender was very good, BFG was better, and Turning Point was definitely PPV of the year. Quite a good way to top off the year for TNA!
How it would rank against other years is the important aspect. My favorite year in TNA was 2006, and still is. However this year either fell a little short or matched that year. Unfortunately, the lack of consistency early on in 2009 hurt it. But it was a vastly better year than last year.
(FK9) The first half of 2009 with the M.E.M. dominating every facet of the product was one of the worst periods in TNA history -- possibly even worse than 2008 from a creative standpoint. The second half of 2009, starting when Jeff Jarret & Dutch Mantel were removed, was comparably much better. They deemphasized the old men and started pushing the young talent finally. Right now, they're still in damage control mode, trying to fix all the problems they created for themselves in those first 6 months (and a lot of '08 for that matter), but at least they've finally gotten on the right track.
1st half of '09: Possibly the worst time in company history.
2nd half of '09: Pretty damn good by comparison.
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) I want to steer in the way of saying TNA is going in the right direction. Granted, there are still a number of quite annoying quirks. There's little denying that the entire landscape of TNA has literally changed from top to bottom in just less than 6 months.
(PhenomAJJones) I think TNA took a big step forward in 2009. We got the youngsters headlining main events, we got less people being held down and having an opportunity to shine. It seems like in 2009 the glass ceiling was shattered and we are seeing new blood in the main event scene with Matt Morgan, Daniels and not the same main events we have seen before.
2. What were your top highlights for TNA in 2009?
(FK9) -AJ Styles winning the world heavyweight title.
-Sting finally doing the right thing and passing the torch to AJ at Bound for Glory.
-The signing of great new talents: D'Angelo Dinero, Desmond Wolfe, Sarita, Hamada, etc.
-Jarrett & Mantel being removed from creative.
-The new creative team having the good sense to end the M.E.M. storyline before it did any more harm to the product and the young roster.
-Booker T & Sharmell leaving the company (good riddance).
-Turning Point.
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) That's clearly the youth movement. If there is one thing that TNA has done in such a small amount of time it is that they have sucessfully made a number of lower-tier/midcard talents into what could be household names if TNA continues to expand. This is something that WWE has utterly failed at doing. There are just too many WWE stars who not only wrestle unforgettably, they look the part as well. TNA has a number of guys that simply look the part right now. Even the average non wrestling fan could likely differentiate Hernandez or Beer Money over Kofi Kingston and Legacy. TNA has guys that not only look like wrestlers but wrestlers that look like future stars if their runs continue.
(PhenomAJJones) Elijah Burke aka D'Angelo Dinero coming to TNA. Elijah is a great talent, he can wrestle, he can talk, he has great charisma and it was sad to see him cut from his previous employer but I am glad he is in TNA because he has the ability to put on a great match as we saw with his match against Kurt Angle on Impact. Pope is pimpin' and I am glad he is in TNA.
AJ Styles has been with TNA from day one. Like Burke he has the ability to put on great matches with everyone in the company. AJ works his butt off and it was nice to see his work rewarded with a reign as TNA World Champion. His last reign was over 4 years ago, I think he definitely earned the championship and I hope he keeps it for a long time.
(Talon) There are way too many to count, but to name a few: Don West turning heel, Joe joining the Mafia, Daniels returning, AJ winning the World Title, the Implosion of the Main Event Mafia, Mick Foley interviewing himself, Desmond Wolfe vs Kurt Angle, Dixie Carter’s speech and of course the signing of Hulk Hogan.
3. What were the low points for the company in 2009?
(PhenomAJJones) The whole Jeff Jarrett/Kurt & Karen Angle personal drama being made public. In wrestlng all the action is suppose to be inside the ring and when it spills outside the ring and a person's personal life gets public it takes the focus off the wrestlers, fans, and everyone who loves TNA and turns it into Jerry Springer. My opinion it should have stayed in private and not out in public.
(Talon) Victory Road was a horrible PPV, but I was really down on TNA after Destination X. Thank God TNA delivered a great iMPACT afterwards. One major low point for me was the release of Petey Williams, which I still question to this day.
(FK9) -95% of the young roster being decimated so a group of 50-year-old men could relive their glory days, almost killing the company's future in the process.
-Destination-X & Victory Road. 'Nuff said.
-Anything involving Hulk Hogan.
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) Dixie Carter ignoring her promise some 9 months ago about bringing back the X-division. While there have been some excellent X-division matches, TNA has continued to leave their flagship division behind in both talent, storyline and by burying them with the likes of older, heavyweight talent.
4. Name your top 3 choices for MVP in TNA?
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) - Kurt Angle: No Doubt that Kurt Angle continues to carry the company. He pretty much does this week in and week out. There's not enough I could say about that. While I think Angle will be held in the same high esteem next year, I don't think he would take the top spot.
- AJ Styles: This is a close second. He is without a doubt the face of the youth movement. This is indicative of every other young talent and their grandmothers now going after AJ for the title. AJ is the one who opened the floodgates for the younger guys to come into the main event scene way before the average fan even thought most of these guys would get a chance at the title.
- Suicide: Yes, believe it or not, my pick is Suicide. As much as I dislike the corny masked character, he carried what little X-division diversity we saw. Like him or not, Suicide put on some great matches and was a fighting champion during his reign as X-division title holder. Easily beats Amazing Red in just the sheer amount of matches put out in the year. It's time to give Suicide the legit push he deserves, without the mask!
(Talon) AJ Styles is up there because of his breakout into the world title scene. He won the legends belt earlier in the year, was about to quit, won the world title, ended Sting’s BFG streak, and has had multiple MOTY contenders (Turning Point and with Kurt Angle).
Kurt Angle is another since he has had numerous good to great matches, had great promos, elevated Matt Morgan, AJ Styles, Robert Roode and countless others.
The dark horse for me would be Dixie Carter. Many fans were down on the constant pushing of the same old talent until Dixie Carter decided enough was enough and it was time for a change, and change she did. She removed Jeff Jarrett and his friends, allowed Vince Russo to take the creative reigns, brought back Scott D’Amore, signed a new deal with Spike TV and signed Hulk Hogan to a deal. If there was anyone in a non-wrestling role who deserves the honors, it would be her.
(FK9) -Kurt Angle -- before Joe joined the group, Angle was the only person worth watching in the M.E.M. He battled through injuries, had several MOTY contenders, came off like a superstar on Global iMPACT 2, argued on behalf of the young talent backstage, made Matt Morgan's career at BFG. Need I go on?
-AJ Styles -- the figurehead of TNA's long overdue youth movement. When a guy like Sting passes the torch to you, that means something. He doesn't get the attention in the storylines that Angle does, but he's no less important.
-Samoa Joe -- say what you want about Joe joining the Mafia, but that heel turn needed to happen. Ever since then, Joe has been set free. Gone is the whiny babyface used as enhancement talent for Sting, Nash & Steiner. He's been replaced by the cold, sadistic badass that Joe always should have been. He looks poised to reclaim his former glory in 2010 and I can't wait.
(PhenomAJJones) Angle, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe. Kurt Angle has got to be one of, if not the greatest wrestler alive. Kurt is like Michael Jordan, Kurt sick is better than alot of guys who are healthy. Kurt is 40 years old, he wrestles at a high level, his matches in TNA have been great and in 2009 they have stayed at a high level which is why he is a choice for MVP.
AJ Styles. He is easily an MVP candidate because he is the first name you think of when you say "TNA Wrestling". AJ's '09 was crazy with the Frontline, to Joe turning, to quitting, to winning the TNA world championship, the match with Joe and Daniels at Turning point was great and shows that AJ adapts well to any match, to any opponent, and without AJ Styles TNA is in a bad position. He's been with them from day 1 and if he leaves then TNA may die.
Samoa Joe. The old Joe came back. The butt-kicking, take no prisoners Joe from 2004-2006 showed back up and has ignited a fire in him. Joe is a guy that, regardless of his size, wrestlers X-division style and can compete with the heavyweights. Samoa Joe has become a big time player in TNA and lot of 2009 was focused on him, especially with the heel turn at Slammiversary. Samoa Joe is easily one of the greatest pro wrestlers of this decade along with AJ and Kurt, which is why Joe is my choice for TNA MVP.
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1. In your opinion, how would 2009 in TNA rate up there against past years?
(Talon) This was a tale of two halves for TNA. The first half of the year was a mix between solid and horrific programming from TNA. Up until the changing of the guard, we saw a lack of consistency with programming. There was definitely some strong programming, but it was overshadowed by the same old crap.
Following Victory Road, things got much better. The product was the same but the main players were different. Because guys like AJ Styles, Daniels and younger studs were featured more, the match quality went up and so did the quality of the show. Victory Road was horrible, Hard Justice was a vast improvement, No Surrender was very good, BFG was better, and Turning Point was definitely PPV of the year. Quite a good way to top off the year for TNA!
How it would rank against other years is the important aspect. My favorite year in TNA was 2006, and still is. However this year either fell a little short or matched that year. Unfortunately, the lack of consistency early on in 2009 hurt it. But it was a vastly better year than last year.
(FK9) The first half of 2009 with the M.E.M. dominating every facet of the product was one of the worst periods in TNA history -- possibly even worse than 2008 from a creative standpoint. The second half of 2009, starting when Jeff Jarret & Dutch Mantel were removed, was comparably much better. They deemphasized the old men and started pushing the young talent finally. Right now, they're still in damage control mode, trying to fix all the problems they created for themselves in those first 6 months (and a lot of '08 for that matter), but at least they've finally gotten on the right track.
1st half of '09: Possibly the worst time in company history.
2nd half of '09: Pretty damn good by comparison.
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) I want to steer in the way of saying TNA is going in the right direction. Granted, there are still a number of quite annoying quirks. There's little denying that the entire landscape of TNA has literally changed from top to bottom in just less than 6 months.
(PhenomAJJones) I think TNA took a big step forward in 2009. We got the youngsters headlining main events, we got less people being held down and having an opportunity to shine. It seems like in 2009 the glass ceiling was shattered and we are seeing new blood in the main event scene with Matt Morgan, Daniels and not the same main events we have seen before.
2. What were your top highlights for TNA in 2009?
(FK9) -AJ Styles winning the world heavyweight title.
-Sting finally doing the right thing and passing the torch to AJ at Bound for Glory.
-The signing of great new talents: D'Angelo Dinero, Desmond Wolfe, Sarita, Hamada, etc.
-Jarrett & Mantel being removed from creative.
-The new creative team having the good sense to end the M.E.M. storyline before it did any more harm to the product and the young roster.
-Booker T & Sharmell leaving the company (good riddance).
-Turning Point.
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) That's clearly the youth movement. If there is one thing that TNA has done in such a small amount of time it is that they have sucessfully made a number of lower-tier/midcard talents into what could be household names if TNA continues to expand. This is something that WWE has utterly failed at doing. There are just too many WWE stars who not only wrestle unforgettably, they look the part as well. TNA has a number of guys that simply look the part right now. Even the average non wrestling fan could likely differentiate Hernandez or Beer Money over Kofi Kingston and Legacy. TNA has guys that not only look like wrestlers but wrestlers that look like future stars if their runs continue.
(PhenomAJJones) Elijah Burke aka D'Angelo Dinero coming to TNA. Elijah is a great talent, he can wrestle, he can talk, he has great charisma and it was sad to see him cut from his previous employer but I am glad he is in TNA because he has the ability to put on a great match as we saw with his match against Kurt Angle on Impact. Pope is pimpin' and I am glad he is in TNA.
AJ Styles has been with TNA from day one. Like Burke he has the ability to put on great matches with everyone in the company. AJ works his butt off and it was nice to see his work rewarded with a reign as TNA World Champion. His last reign was over 4 years ago, I think he definitely earned the championship and I hope he keeps it for a long time.
(Talon) There are way too many to count, but to name a few: Don West turning heel, Joe joining the Mafia, Daniels returning, AJ winning the World Title, the Implosion of the Main Event Mafia, Mick Foley interviewing himself, Desmond Wolfe vs Kurt Angle, Dixie Carter’s speech and of course the signing of Hulk Hogan.
3. What were the low points for the company in 2009?
(PhenomAJJones) The whole Jeff Jarrett/Kurt & Karen Angle personal drama being made public. In wrestlng all the action is suppose to be inside the ring and when it spills outside the ring and a person's personal life gets public it takes the focus off the wrestlers, fans, and everyone who loves TNA and turns it into Jerry Springer. My opinion it should have stayed in private and not out in public.
(Talon) Victory Road was a horrible PPV, but I was really down on TNA after Destination X. Thank God TNA delivered a great iMPACT afterwards. One major low point for me was the release of Petey Williams, which I still question to this day.
(FK9) -95% of the young roster being decimated so a group of 50-year-old men could relive their glory days, almost killing the company's future in the process.
-Destination-X & Victory Road. 'Nuff said.
-Anything involving Hulk Hogan.
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) Dixie Carter ignoring her promise some 9 months ago about bringing back the X-division. While there have been some excellent X-division matches, TNA has continued to leave their flagship division behind in both talent, storyline and by burying them with the likes of older, heavyweight talent.
4. Name your top 3 choices for MVP in TNA?
(D-Day aka TNAInsider) - Kurt Angle: No Doubt that Kurt Angle continues to carry the company. He pretty much does this week in and week out. There's not enough I could say about that. While I think Angle will be held in the same high esteem next year, I don't think he would take the top spot.
- AJ Styles: This is a close second. He is without a doubt the face of the youth movement. This is indicative of every other young talent and their grandmothers now going after AJ for the title. AJ is the one who opened the floodgates for the younger guys to come into the main event scene way before the average fan even thought most of these guys would get a chance at the title.
- Suicide: Yes, believe it or not, my pick is Suicide. As much as I dislike the corny masked character, he carried what little X-division diversity we saw. Like him or not, Suicide put on some great matches and was a fighting champion during his reign as X-division title holder. Easily beats Amazing Red in just the sheer amount of matches put out in the year. It's time to give Suicide the legit push he deserves, without the mask!
(Talon) AJ Styles is up there because of his breakout into the world title scene. He won the legends belt earlier in the year, was about to quit, won the world title, ended Sting’s BFG streak, and has had multiple MOTY contenders (Turning Point and with Kurt Angle).
Kurt Angle is another since he has had numerous good to great matches, had great promos, elevated Matt Morgan, AJ Styles, Robert Roode and countless others.
The dark horse for me would be Dixie Carter. Many fans were down on the constant pushing of the same old talent until Dixie Carter decided enough was enough and it was time for a change, and change she did. She removed Jeff Jarrett and his friends, allowed Vince Russo to take the creative reigns, brought back Scott D’Amore, signed a new deal with Spike TV and signed Hulk Hogan to a deal. If there was anyone in a non-wrestling role who deserves the honors, it would be her.
(FK9) -Kurt Angle -- before Joe joined the group, Angle was the only person worth watching in the M.E.M. He battled through injuries, had several MOTY contenders, came off like a superstar on Global iMPACT 2, argued on behalf of the young talent backstage, made Matt Morgan's career at BFG. Need I go on?
-AJ Styles -- the figurehead of TNA's long overdue youth movement. When a guy like Sting passes the torch to you, that means something. He doesn't get the attention in the storylines that Angle does, but he's no less important.
-Samoa Joe -- say what you want about Joe joining the Mafia, but that heel turn needed to happen. Ever since then, Joe has been set free. Gone is the whiny babyface used as enhancement talent for Sting, Nash & Steiner. He's been replaced by the cold, sadistic badass that Joe always should have been. He looks poised to reclaim his former glory in 2010 and I can't wait.
(PhenomAJJones) Angle, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe. Kurt Angle has got to be one of, if not the greatest wrestler alive. Kurt is like Michael Jordan, Kurt sick is better than alot of guys who are healthy. Kurt is 40 years old, he wrestles at a high level, his matches in TNA have been great and in 2009 they have stayed at a high level which is why he is a choice for MVP.
AJ Styles. He is easily an MVP candidate because he is the first name you think of when you say "TNA Wrestling". AJ's '09 was crazy with the Frontline, to Joe turning, to quitting, to winning the TNA world championship, the match with Joe and Daniels at Turning point was great and shows that AJ adapts well to any match, to any opponent, and without AJ Styles TNA is in a bad position. He's been with them from day 1 and if he leaves then TNA may die.
Samoa Joe. The old Joe came back. The butt-kicking, take no prisoners Joe from 2004-2006 showed back up and has ignited a fire in him. Joe is a guy that, regardless of his size, wrestlers X-division style and can compete with the heavyweights. Samoa Joe has become a big time player in TNA and lot of 2009 was focused on him, especially with the heel turn at Slammiversary. Samoa Joe is easily one of the greatest pro wrestlers of this decade along with AJ and Kurt, which is why Joe is my choice for TNA MVP.
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The read the second half of the column, click here.
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