Official WWE/TNA Wrestling Thread

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...ute-to-former-WWE-WrestleMania-headliner.html

The Sun reported Umaga passed away now. I hate seeing stories like this,my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends

 

WWE acknowledged it on their web page too, with no details. sad news. 36 is too young to die.

 

rip umaga.

 

Heart attack in a Coma, according to My33 News.

 

R.I.P. Eki. Sad news.He was one of my favorite recent big men and by all accounts, a tremendous guy to be around. I never got thr chance to meet him directly, but we have a few mutual friends who are devastated...obviously.

 

R.I.P Umaga(Eddie),just another talent taken to soon. I really feel for his family to have to go through this during the holidays.

 

TNA is moving to Monday nights (live?) to go up against WWE, starting in Jan.

I dont watch it too often but I may start checking in on it a little more.

 

They don't have a chance to top the WWE like WCW did but hey why not try.

 

It is a one night test run to debut with Hogan. They will go 3 hours and word is that the WWE is going to counter with a 3 hour Raw as well. So much for the WWE saying they aren't paying attention to TNA.

If things go well with a live show, then TNA and Spike might consider the move full time. However, this is just the first shot in the bow by TNA.

 

Hopefully it leads to a better product by the WWE. I doubt they're worried though as TNA isn't a real threat.

 

They are worried. If they weren't they wouldn't be counter programming. I expect, basically a free ppv from WWE that night if they are going three hours.

TNA won't beat them in the ratings, but if they can hold their audience...or maybe even bump it slightly, they may be able to move there full time and get more advertising and promotion from Spike, as I am sure they would float more their way.

 

They're not worried they're just screwing with TNA much like they did with the NWA back in the late 80s, it's actually smart business what the WWE is doing. The WWE is really more worried about UFC and the growing interest in MMA than TNA. TNA can't/won't survive going head to head with the WWE full time. A one time deal is fine but if it was every Monday they'd get destroyed.

 

Spike TV is scheduling a UFC event for the following Monday as well. It sounds like Spike is at least testing the waters to try and get the male audience demographic once Monday Night Football is done.

One thing to remember. While TNA doesn't have the exposure or (in my opinion) the base audience that the old WCW had), them jumping onto a Monday...even if they get murdered early on, may be the smart move. It is a direct shot at Vince and will cause the WWE to come back alive and put some effort into their product. People are creatures of habit and they know that Monday is a day for wrestling.

If people are offered a choice and can flip back and forth, it might make for a market large enough to support both companies again. It worked before, and part of that appeal was being able to flip back and forth, never knowing what is going on. So of course for that to happen, TNA would have to go live each week which means more money. I wonder if Spike and TNA are willing to make that commitment full time, because I think at this point, they have enough "name" wrestlers toappeal to the mainstream fans, but they need the backing as well.

 

Well that's the thing, WCW already had a very large fan base and was doing almost the same ratings on their Saturday Night show that RAW was doing on Mondays, so them being a real player vs. the WWE wasn't a huge surprise at the time for people paying attention to the ratings. TNA doesn't have a big following at all and maybe at first they might bring in more fews than they would have over time I can't see how they can hold onto them because they are very limited and obviously don't have the cash WCW did. And let's not forget that WCW had big draws on their roster (Hogan, Flair, Macho Man, Sting) and their first live show had a big surprise at the time (Luger returning). TNA really doesn't have big name stars to match the WWE. So people shouldn't automatically think this is Monday Night Wars Part 2 because it's not. The WWE has a clear advantage here it's like if NFL Europe decided to have a game shown live to go up against Monday Night Football. Sure people might tune it during the commericals but once they see the 6 sided gimmick ring and the big lack of star talent, they'll flip back to the NFL.

But hey anything to kick the WWE in the butt and get them to actually care again is fine by me.

 

Hey...TNA has Hogan and Sting ( ). Honestly, I think TNA has enough marquee names to hold their own. Hogan, Foley, Sting, Booker T, Angle, Nash and a couple of others to help appeal to the casual fans that may be out there still.

And as for surprises...I fully expect to see a couple of "new" people show up. Whether its RVD, Kennedy, or some other mid-level stars that might be available.

But I don't think anyone is thinking that TNA is going to compete on this Monday...or any other Monday for the near future. It just makes sense to me for TNA to try and make another step up. Thursdays can onyl take them so far in my opinion. Thunder failed on Thursdays and Smackdown! had to move from Thursdays as well.

 

i agree, ANYTHING that gets thing going creatively is a good thing. i think complacency has set in due to lack of competition.

RAW just has so little to offer when i watch these days. glad to see Kofi get elevated, and the Miz has improved drastically since he changed clothes, and Y2J is on his game. but there just isnt much that DX, Cena, and Orton can show me at this point that i havent seen from them.

i find myself scanning Smackdown and enjoying CM Punk, Taker, and the Hart Dynasty, and even Batista as a heel bully, at least somewhat.

i think getting Edge back will help too.

 

i actually think wwe is on the verge of being really good again. now will they screw it up............................. we'll see.

 

Quick side note: I really don't follow TNA much but I could have sworen I read that Angle, Booker T. and Sting are headed out of TNA. And there was some rumors that Booker T. would definitely be headed back to the WWE while Sting has an offer from them and so does Angle if he can clean himself up. Not sure how true those rumors were or if and when their contracts expire.

Anyway I'd put some money down that Hogan and Nash will probably restart the nWo with Bischoff and maybe get Hall and X-Pac (if they can find him in Mexico) if they're both clean along with some of the other former nWo guys like Buff Bagwell, Norton, Vincent/Virgil, etc. I mean the whole nWo angle is played out but you know it's coming.

RVD is a possibility and you can't discount Jeff Hardy (again depending on his legal matters). Maybe you'll see Goldberg return? Although if TNA really wanted to make a splash they should bring in the Macho Man as GM or something crazy like that. It will get people talking since Macho has been M.I.A. for years.

I do wonder if Thursdays are really a bad night for wrestling on TV or not and why those shows failed. Thunder isn't a good example as it was just a crappy show after the first few months and nothing big ever happened on it and the writers chose not to care about it. I mean you'd think Friday night would be an even worse night for wrestling or any other show for that matter but I believe Smackdown is still pulling in the same numbers each week.

 

The WWE is in a weird phrase right now kind of like there they were from 1993-1997ish where they have a few big names and a bunch of solid guys at the mid card waiting for their shot but while that's happening the product isn't very strong even if the workers are. The future is obviously Kofi, Morrison, Miz, Rhodes, DiBiase and Punk (along with Triple H, Cena and Orton) its all about when those younger guys are finally going to break through. The WWE is, much like in the mid 90s, much more focused on kids and being PG which I think will change over in a few more years after the WWE gets more distance from themselves and all of the negative press relating to the Benoit mess and steroids etc once those kids become teenagers. But because its PG now the wrestlers all want to be faces so they can sell their t-shirts and hats and make more money- hence why Triple H hasn't been a heel for years.

 

Just saw that the WWE is releasing another HBK dvd set called "Shawn Michaels' 25th Greatest Matches" set to be released in March '10. A few of thoughts:

-I can never get enough HBK and his matches but does he really need another DVD set so soon considering his last set came out at the end of 2007, when guys like Jericho haven't even got a set yet (but Batista has 2 out there and Morrison is getting one in Feb)?

-I wonder if the WWE is going to market this WM as HBK's farewell tour or not and using the release to help sales of it.

-Since he already has 2 great DVD sets out their and this one is 25 greatest matches I'm guessing there will definitely be some over laps which is a big disappointment (I mean how can his Ramon Ladder matches, Iron Man match with Bret, match with Diesel, match with Mankind, comeback match with Triple H, WM match with Flair, the first HiTC match with UT not be on it?, I wish it were 25 NEW matches not on any of his other DVDs yet, it's not like the WWE won't have trouble finding 25 new matches to put on the set.

But I'm excited to see which matches are listed and hopefully they put in his ladder match with Jericho, the WM match with UT and the elimination match where he wins the WWE title again, along with some obvious matches with Triple H, Marty Jannetty, Cena, Angle etc. Hopefully the set includes some Rocker matches too, just no AWA stuff please.

 

Actually, I believe you are right about Booker T being on the outs. I forgot about that ( I haven't watched an actual wrestling show in months. At this point I get my news from friends within the business and a select few websites I trust).

I am pretty sure that Vince owns the NWO name and trademarks, so it won't return in that regard. Might you see some variation of some familiar faces from yesteryear? Its a good possibility, but I think TNA is hellbent right now on getting the young guys over by feeding the stars to them (which is what they should be doing).

I believe that Angle and Sting are with TNA for the foreseeable future. Sting has always had a flirtation with WWE, but his moral code prohibits him from working for Vince. He is very protective of his legacy and I think he fears that going to the WWE will tarnish it.

As for Thursday night. It is notoriously a stacked night for TV viewing, so adding wrestling to the mix always seemed like a bad idea. Less eyeballs on Friday night as a whole, but the wrestling audience is a built in one that usually tends to follow the show regardless of where it goes. Look at Raw's audience and how it has followed it from different channels, pre-emptions and other odd occurences.

 

I forgot about Vince owning the nWo name, good call on that. I'm sure they could call themselves NWA Hollywood or something along those lines if they were to do that angle again.

I wonder how that the WWE is PG if Sting would ever change his stance. I'm sure the WWE would love to sign Sting for at least a year or 2 simply so they can make a tons of money off of him on mechandise and a DVD set for him (especially since the WWE has seriously considered releasing one of him anyway). The WWE probably would just crap on Sting's legacy (which in my opinion isn't as big as Sting might think it is) by having him job to Triple H in his first few months.

 

I too think that the competition will be good in the long run. I mean I don't believe TNA will come close to beating RAW in ratings that Monday but it is good to try. I am more of a WWE fan but I catch TNA on Thursdays when I remember. To tell you the truth I am starting to get into it because they have been having decent shows these past few months and seem on the uprise. While they do need to build more of their own talent like Joe,Daniels,and AJ,it is good to have the older guys around to help build up the new guys in the company and to provide casual fans a known name. I just am glad to see them at least try and get new fans and I will be switching back and forth that Monday like the old days. By the way Booker did leave TNA I think a month or two ago.

 

See, I think Sting is one of the best wrestlers of this generation. Granted he was never the draw of Hogan or as talented as Flair, but he was certainly right in between those two and I think that he was talented enough to be built around and humble enough to help build new stars and work with anyone.

The ultimate pro's pro, if you will. Talented in the ring (not the most talented, mind you) he could talk and he worked hard. In many ways, I think its kind of cool that he may be the biggest star to never work for Vince.

But then again, I certainly would show up if Sting happened to walk out on Raw. Obviously a perfect angle for him would be for someone (anyone) to claim that they have beaten everyone and that there is no one left to beat, only to hear his old Stinger music and have him walk out to claim different. Honestly, if they played it right, it would be one of the few moments left that it would be must see TV.

Sting vs. a cocky heel HBK would be outstanding in my opinion. It will never happen, but I can dream...

 

Great points and I agree those would be great angles if Sting were to ever sign with WWE. I like your idea also of having him vs the old heel HBK but yeah it does seem unrealistic. I doubt we will ever see Sting in WWE but when it comes to wrestling Ive leaned never say never lol.

 

Sting wasn't a great worker though. He definitely had the looks and charisma but he couldn't work a match like Flair, Michaels or Hart and never pulled a 5 star match out of guys that weren't as talented as he was. And he stopped caring about his in ring skills around 1995 and by 1998 it really showed and he really became pretty irrelevant pretty quickly after he dropped the World title to Macho Man in 1998. This was the guy that WCW was trying to really build the franchise on and it just never really clicked with him for whatever reason. The guy was a good draw though and always popped the crowds but he really wasn't in Flair or Hogan's league. He was a step down (which is nothing wrong with) and I do feel a bit overrated.

 

A step down is probably a better correlation than in between as I labeled him. Sting was a VERY good worker. He was limited physically where people like HBK, Benoit, Jericho, Steamboat, Early Savage, Hennig, Flair and others were simply freaks of nature inside the ring. But Sting was certainly above average in the ring.

I suppose what I meant by in between those two legends was that he could certainly draw a crowd and rile a crowd up (and sell merchandise) with just about everyone in his prime, and could certainly work much better than Hogan inside the ring. Until HBK came along and set the standard to an impossible level, I think Sting was, in my opinion the ideal wrestler for young bucks coming up to look into.

Outside of a select few, I don't know if anyone has had as long a face run that was as succesful as his was throughout the entire time. He is permanently over and, again, in my opinion, one of the greats of the late 80's and 90's.

Even at his advanced age, he continues to be someone they can count on at TNA. Its so strange how he and Warrior's paths changed so drastically from when they were the Blade Runners until now.

But then again, I am and always have been a HUGE Sting mark. I still remember the angle where these mysterious boxes kept being left for Sting by a "benefactor." At the Clash of the Champions, the benefactor turns out to be Madusa who seduces and distracts Sting long enough for Rick Rude to attack and "injure" Sting's knee. Sting does the stretcher job and Rude demands that since Sting is at the hospital, that he be handed the U.S. Title

I remember marking the hell out like the ultimate fanboy when a taped up Sting "returned" for the main event, only to be crushed when Rude beat him anyway. It was a great angle with a great payoff that Sting worked brilliantly. I loved every minute of it looking back on it.

On a sidenote: I REALLY miss the elevated walkway that WCW used back in the day. ECW use to use it on occasion too. It always made me feel like it was a huge event and I would love to see WWE use it on rare occasions (like Wrestlemania/Summerslam) as I always thought it visually helped the Wrestlers look larger than life and allowed them to get creative with their spots.

 

Really? I hated it, it seemed so 2nd rate to me, I don't know why but it just didn't do anything for me. Maybe it's because I found WCW to be the minor leagues compared to the WWF at the time and I always hated WCW's entrances compared to the WWF.

 

I have always been a WWF/E moreso than a WCW guy. But I used to love seeing that platform. The best was when someone would run and jump over the top rope onto the opponent. Always a hot start.

 

Eddie did that...

 

Yeah I was always a WWF guy myself. It was really hard to watch WCW from 1990s to 1995ish. From the bad wrestling, dumb rules, it was mostly a train wreck to watch outside of Flair, Sting, Vader, Steamboat, Cactus Jack, Rude, Austin, Pillman and the Steiners.

 

What`s about Sting? I miss him a long time now in the wrestling business...

 

I was more of a WCW fan growing up.
saw the NWO from the very start, now that made for some hot tv.

 

There's a rumor going around that the WWE is trying to get The Rock to guest host RAW on Jan. 4th. But they're not sure if they can get him or not. John Cena as of now will not be at the show because he's scheduled to be in AZ doing the coin toss at the Fiesta Bowl to promote WM26 there.

 

Yeah some of the rules were so ******ed. No top rope moves allowed. You couldn't throw anyone over the top rope, etc.

And at one time, they had a three man tag championship which was really strange.

 

Don't forget the 'international objects' and the no floor mats on the outside of the ring.

 

The international objects was hilarious. Political correctness run amok.

But I did like some of their concepts. I always thought that the three ring 60 man battle royal was kind of neat, even if it was a tad hard to follow.

And of course, War Games. The one where Sid just about decapitated Pillman because the roof was lower than he thought when he lifted him up for a powerbomb was fantastic.

 

War Games was great, I wish McMahon would bring it back but if he didn't think of it, it never happened. WCW did have some pretty good PPV names that I wish the WWE would still use today.

I wasn't a big fan of the World War Battle Royal, like you said it was hard to follow but I'm not a fan of battle royals in general (the Royal Rumble is different) because those types of matches usually suck.

And Sid almost killed Pillman not once but twice because of the roof. Pillman was really lucky he didn't break his neck.

 

A couple of tidbits I saw/heard today.

Hogan said in an interview that he predicts that TNA will pop a 3.0 rating when he debuts. Personally, I think they will be lucky to keep the audience they have now. Dumb move by Hogan but he was properly just souting off without thinking.

I also heard that Timbaland (yes THAT Timbaland) signed with the WWE as an announcer. Haven't been able to confirm that yet, but what an odd signing. I know they have worked together before (he used divas for a video), but its still odd if true.

 

I know he's hosting Raw in a couple of weeks. But that's about it.