The John Report Wrestling Blog

How far TNA has fallen since the wonderful Angle/Styles match a few months ago during the Hogan’s return show. Also, good for Elijah Burke..er I mean The Pope Dinero in getting the number 1 contender (unless I am off by a month).

Pope’s #1 contender, but the title shot isn’t until the April PPV.

Memo to Bishoff and Hogan: A casual fan could care less about who is writing a story-line. There is no reason for either of you to appear on TV outside of promoting your own importance.

A casual fan might tune in once to see Hulkamania run wild one last time. Once they see how the old man is just a shell of himself, will they tune in again? No, unless they see some action that makes them want to tune in again. Seeing a has-been and a never-will-be is not going to make them tune in.

Hiring RVD is a smart move. 10 years ago he could carry an entire company, but was never really given the chance to prove it. Can he do the same thing today? Maybe, but he will do a better job than wasting more than 1 second of TV time with the 2 Giant egos faces on screen.

Bischoff, there is not a single person on earth, beside your mother, who tunes into wrestling to watch you.

Hogan, people want to watch a new generation. You are a novelty act. Ride into the sunset with some dignity, if you have any left.

Does Mickie James know you’re two-timing her with Angelina Love?

@jay

See, that the problem with Hogan and Bischoff: They have no dignity left and they both want to ruin the WWE and especially Vince Mac. They think moving to TNA will do that but really it wont.

Vince Mac is so unimpressed by this maneuver that RAW will not go to 3 hours and the guest hosts will continue for the forseabble future.

Personally, I am done with Hogan in any capacity and would rather watch a RAW with an ironman match between Hornswaggle and Chavo for the first hour and then a triple threat match/iron man match between HHH/Orton/Cena for the second hour than a TNA show on Mondays.

I hope Carter gets a clue because TNA has some honest-to-goodness talent on that squad but Hogan and Bischoff are going drive the company into the ground.

TNA has been many things since Hogan took over, and bad is one of them, but I think the internet in general has unfairly overlooked much of the positive that’s happened.

It makes a great deal of sense really. The negative is so loud, and so obvious that it’s difficult to overlook. How could anybody see past the Nasty Boys, or how Joe’s been booked?

However, there has also been a great deal of positive in the company. They seem to be pushing the right guys currently.

Pope and Wolfe have both been (further) elevated into main event status, which is excellent. They’re the future of the company as far as I’m concerned.

Abyss is not nearly as bad as many people suggest. I think he’s legit funny, and can play either an insane heel or a sympathetic comical babyface very effectively, not unlike Foley. He’s also huge, and is a pretty good (not great) worker for his size. This may sound strange, but I actually like the ring angle. The internet may be aflame in “OMG!! THE RING GIVES HIM SUPER POWERS! LOL!!!” but he had been booked as a monster who’s afraid of his own shadow before Hogan arrived, and if they wanted to push him as a monster either as a heel or a face, they had to find a way to give him confidence first. It’s not the ring that gives him super powers, it’s the negation of his fear, which had previously overshadowed his monsterous strength. The ring can be dropped with time, the confidence can remain.

They also seem to be strongly pushing Morgan into a role as a cocky, full of himself, monster heel, which I think is a perfect fit.

I even think what they’ve done with Hall and Waltman has SOME potential. They haven’t been welcomed with open arms, have been kept to a minimum, and haven’t even been on every week. Maybe they still have something to give? Either way, I’m glad that Hall and Nash aren’t being used as top guys, which is what I was afraid of when Hogan was announced.

And Ric Flair is the man. End of paragraph.

The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that they are trying to do too much. They had too many guys for two hours of TV even before January, and they now have roughly double the number they need. This is a problem, and when there are too many storylines going on at once (rushed ones at that), it leads to other things being neglected, such as the X-division, long TV matches, the Knockouts other than the Beautiful People feud, etc. I think more than ego, this overbooking is the reason for so much talking.

If TNA were to pick the 2/5 of the roster that they like (please no Nastys), and fire the other 3/5, they might really have something. Or maybe I’m just overly optimistic…

My thoughts (love your random thought columns, tend to get me thinking) on the subject are a little varied, but sometimes akin to what you think.

-Hogan wrestling…not liking the idea. I like him as a GM/Booker role, he does fine in this role as he’s always been a decent talker. Flair wrestling…not as down on the idea as I know he can still go, but I worry about the guy, as I respect him so much. I do think pairing him with AJ was a good idea.

-Abyss. I want to like the guy, but he’s like a copy of kane and a copy of mick foley mixed in with some kind of Green Lantern thing going on. I preferred him when he was just a mix of kane and foley. He makes for great hardcore matches (or at least watchable) and I -do- like the idea of him getting a push, as I can’t think of many TNA preformers who have bled and cut for their company via insane spots and sharp objects like this guy has. He deserves a chance. I don’t even mind the ring inspiring him…but the superhero feel really cheeses it up. I also don’t like his shakey talking routine. I liked the monster abyss, i’m sure they could make him work if they let him take himself seriously.

-I think the foley thing is some kind of build for a bisch/foley feud, which may somehow intertwine with jarret…at least that’s my guess, as they both kinda have the same angle going on with Bisch. I’m interested, but I agree I would like to see faster progression so I’m not wondering what the point is, OR give them less air time. I’ve seen some great angles build out of a long, slow build..but I don’t like 1/4 of a show dedicated to a build where the payoff isn’t for months down the road.

-I like the idea of Hogan and the rest of the Millionaires club wanting to give back, and support the idea…but I’m not seeing a whole lot of it. I see aspects of it, yes, with guys like Hernandez, Matt Morgan, Eric Young and Dinero getting some decent pushes, but it’s not like the first 3 weren’t getting them before Hogan showed up. Maybe with the big guys around it’ll get better or they’ll pick up some actual ring storytelling, I don’t know. This could be the start of an old passing of the guard routine, but I don’t quite feel that yet. I also like that Tara and Daffney are getting more air time. I’ve always liked Daffney.

-I agree that the Women should be free to entertain all of the fans in ways that the men can’t. I am all for womens rights and dignity…but this is wrestling. We know what the men want. Hot women who can actually go in the ring. TNA has this, it’s one of their stronger suits. WWE has aspects of it down, but they seem to almost be dividing these two ideals, weighing heavily towards the side of “pretty women” who can’t dress skimpy over “women who are really good wrestlers”. WWE has some amazing Divas, but they’re not allowed to shine, and the ones who can’t wrestle get way too much air time.

-Mr. Anderson is one of my favorite parts of TNA right now. He was right, he’s a lot more entertaining than he was in WWE at the moment. I liked him a lot in the minors, too, before WWE fame. He has always been able to talk, but WWE kept kinda holding him back for one reason or another. (scandals come to mind)

-RVD, glad he found TV time with a schedule that fits his lifestyle where he wants to still have a life and not give up on things that he likes and believes aren’t a serious detriment to himself. I feel WWE really should have given him that opportunity, but I can understand. They have a huge issue with pot for one reason or another, and there are a lot of people on the planet that like their pot, and some people cope better with it, as it’s a natural pain killer and stress reducer, it probably helps on the road. There’s a lot more about it, but I really don’t want to sit here and push pot on the readers of The John Report. It seems…unethical. I’ll finish saying the WWE wellness policy is a really good thing and a good idea, but there are a lot of ways that it is much too restrictive. Good for RVD = my thoughts. He’ll fit in well.

-Push Brian Kendrick. I -love- his heel gimmick, and I was pissed when WWE buried him.

-Can’t wait for Jeff! His last TNA run was wonderful, and he obviously learned a lot, he fits in great, just gonna add a lot more interest to the programming.

-Every time I watch TNA I always end with “Thank you, Kurt.” (I also would say the same for Captain Charisma Christian Cage QUADRUPLE C!) I’m glad TNA is around. The WWE schedule is absolutely insane. I can understand wrestlers wanting to try a different schedule and environment, and I’m glad when they do have their TNA matches, they don’t half ass it. Angle busts his ass every time he’s on TV. I love the guy. CC was the same way. Jeff has his usual on again/off again moments, but he always tried. I expect RVD to bring it, and Dinero has been going great. Wonderful talent…don’t understand why WWE dropped him. Angle has also helped tremendously in getting Anderson over and making him look like a genuine serious threat. The man really is gods gift to wrestling.

-X-DIVISION. STOP FORGETTING ABOUT THIS. IT ESSENTIALLY BUILT TNA.

-At first, I was against the removal of the 6-sided ring..but Hogan was right. The 4-sided is better, and lets you really see how the 6-sides didn’t really add a whole hell of a lot to the matches. The high flyers still do great work.

-Finally, I’m fine with Sting taking time off whenever he wants. Akin to Shawn Michaels, he has definitely earned it. I prefer Michaels’ style of not wanting the world championship, but I understand TNA wanting to use star power to help elevate the value of their belt. I do agree though…I wish they’d stop going OMG STING IS COMING TO THE IMPACT ZOOOOONE. I really think the count is definitely in the double digits.

Good read, as usual, John

Eric :
Does Mickie James know you’re two-timing her with Angelina Love?

I have a lot of love to give.

Hogan is going to go heel on Abyss and join Flair/Styles. Sting will make the save. And all will be right in the world again.

http://www.blip.tv/file/3279313

100% true shit.

@Bila

I was intimidated when the length read 96 minutes, and closed it after a few minutes of inane rambling. Is there a specific spot I should listen to? Very interested, as the guy started by talking about Impact, curious who it is and what he has to say…but needs to learn conciseness. :P

OMG I’m so sick of hearing about TNA. They’re never going to be the #1 wrestling company. Ever!! They don’t know how to book a show. They don’t know how to push talent. All they’re gonna do is push the old fuckin dicks like the nasty boys. And hogan cant get his old wrinkled gimpy ass off the camera. Im sick of him and his damn magical ring. The whole thing with Abyss and the rings is one of the gayest things ive seen in a long time. Why does Abyss act like a mental? And holy shit im sick of bischoff. Get the fuck off camera. And who cares if RVD is coming in. He hasn’t had a good match in years. He sucked in his last couple years in WWE. Im supposed to be excited about this has-been pothead? And i dont care if i ever see sting again. HE IS OLD!! Fuck! Why are people worked up about Sting? He’s boring. All i wanna see is good wrestling. This is why i watch ROH more than anything. I hope TNA proves me wrong on the 8th or im done with em.

@John Canton
With those two, and I mean this in the most respectful way possible…you’d have to have a lot of love to give. Of course, if you find yourself running low, send Mickie my way. I can think of a few waysa to keep her occupied (Scrabble?)

Also i dont agree with the praise people are giving Anderson. I think he is trying way to hard. I dont like him nor do i think he’s very funny. He needs to lighten up a little bit cuz he lays it on way too thick.

@BabyGoose
Never really bought into the Kennedy/Anderson hype; never really amused me at all with either his wrestling or his promo, though his web series was all right. To me, he’s pretty much average at best, and his workrate’s not even that good.

Anyone who is looking forward to Hogan v Flair mixing it up in the ring prepare yourself for some serious….serious disappointment.

There are a multitude of reasons the Hulkamania tour of Australia WILL never be seen and SHOULD never be seen. Trust me.

One of the major contributing factors being that Hogan can barely walk let alone wrestle anymore. No surprise that they’ve raised the ramp down to the TNA ring, he can barely walk a flight of steps.

Cant do the leg drop, cant take a bump…what else is there?? All Hogan accomplishes in the ring at this point is making anyone in there with him look bad.

It’s not the hype I’m buying into, honestly. His TNA character reminds me of the character he had when he was in the WWE developmental system, only as he puts it, it’s more like he wanted it to be. Crass, arrogant, loud mouthed…and not watered down. I think back to his speech about using the dogtags angle has as a weapon because thats how he viewed them; a sharp thing to slice angles head open with. As for his workrate, he does fine. I know I personally would have a hard time working at his rate for 3 matches on the same card, especially when the last one was as good as it was when he laid down to help put over Dinero.

I honestly thought it was complete and utter horseshit that he got fired from WWE the way he did. I’ve seen other superstars do way more botchier things than that and still recieve pushes afterwards. Hell, Steiner retained a job after his program with Triple H and that axe handle stumble off the ring apron, not to mention just how all around dangerous he is to work with. Politics is one of those things I’ll likely always despise about the wrestling business. Unfortunate, really, as that’s something that will never go away.

I agree Bisch and Hogan should be off camera a lot more than they are. Both are great talkers, however, and have their place. I’m reading comments about Sting being boring, RVD not having a good match in years, “gay” being used instead of the word “stupid” (offensive as hell) and ripping on some talented preformers based entirely on age. I recall two old preformers tearing the house down at Wrestlemania 24 and 25 (Flair/HBK, Taker/HBK, Steamboat/Jericho) and it was because everyone involved gave it their best. Then after all this, the complaint that these preformers are boring and that we need to return to wrestling of old.

The old preformers, guys like Sting, are what wrestling is. The new era of stars for the most part (and yes, there are several exceptions) have absolutely no idea how to have a classic wrestling match filled with storytelling, and instead resort to spotfests. That’s why they mix old with the new, the intent being to get the young to learn from the old. One thing Hogan said was “the art of professional wrestling is slipping away in this generation” and for the most part I completely agree. When a wrestler finally “gets it” you immediately can tell.

Christian, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, AJ Styles, John Morrison, RVD, and countless others evolved as their careers went on. A lot of these names were often spotfesters that slowed down as time went on. Sure, I imagine some of it is from the damage they take over the years, but guys as crippled up as Michaels, Austin, Mysterio, Angle have been at various points in their career were able to keep going longer because of the way they changed their styles and learned you don’t need to be flashy to be a true in ring general. Jeff, Mysterio and RVD really come to mind. I always liked these preformers, but their last few years arguably were their best. They won their world titles, and when the time was right for that to happen, you all could tell it was definitely time. They still do their trademark crazy stuff, but they do it to the story, not just to get their spots in.

Will Hogan and Bisch kill WC…er…TNA? There’s a fairly good chance. I have to note, however, prior to their arrival, TNA had become incredibly stale. No direction, no interest. They did what they said they would do, and brought interest to it. With two wrestling shows on Monday, we’re all winners. When one show bores you, flip to the other. It’s fantastic. Never again will I have to watch one of those crappy RAW guest GM sketches just to get my wrestling fix.

Currently, I honestly find TNA more entertaining than RAW. It’s not even close, really. RAW has moments I definitely enjoy watching, but 75% I could do without.

I guess we can all agree to a middleground though, and say dammit people watch smackdown. Especially if you want to watch wrestling.

Tamara Love your posts are way too long. Thats why i skip over you everytime. I’m too lazy to read that much.

Sting is too old by the way. He is 50 freakin yrs old. Im not sayin if your old that you cant have a great match. I loved HBK vs Flair & HBK vs Taker. But those are exceptions. When was the last time Sting had a match that had you on the edge of your seat? I cant remember one.

@BabyGoose
Tamara has some good points Baby Goose, her posts are a worthwhile read.

It’s TNA, anything and everything that can be wrong, will be booked.

Yeah man, I heard TNA going to climb to the top of the ladder… can’t wait until that match with Abyssal and Hogan vs Flair and Sting~!!!!!

BASKETBALLS…..don’t hold grudges!
-Dave Batista

@Anonymous
I agree. Tamara knows what she’s talking about. Besides she doesn’t need you to to read her comment. Skip over it and shut up.

As for TNA… yeah I’m not watching. I thought I would be once Mr Kennedy got it, but then I thought to myself I don’t want to see his carrier go down the toilet. People are wasting their time there. That’s how I see it, persnoally. There are far too many things to complain about so I’m not going into that.

I think people complain WAY too much about TNA? A lot of you criticize their direction and storylines, but the fact is WWE has had and still has its fair share of stupid feuds and dumb storylines – and people put up with it and watch it nonetheless.

I for one am totally rooting for TNA and think they have a better product… It’s just hard to see given their production value is much, much, much less than that of WWE’s. It’s hard to think of it in big terms when you can see the audience is so small in comparison. But they have better in-ring talent, and as for the storylines, I don’t think they are any more ridiculous than the ones WWE puts into play.

At least they haven’t done a storyline where AJ styles has simulated sex with Abyss’ dead girlfriend… Or one of the knockouts giving birth to a fucking hand or foot or some other part of a body… Or even more recently, little peoples court! Hell, I’d take Abyss freaking out over the power of a ring to that shit any day.

Oh, and Sting is still the shit. I don’t care what anyone says. His last match in TNA with Styles was pretty solid in it self. I’ll never get tired of watching Sting wrestle.

@BabyGoose

Tamara can hang with the best. She almost always has something insightful to add to the conversation.

Anderson & Politics = Agree

Paragraph 3 = Agree with everything except calling Hogan and Bischoff good talkers, especially Eric “turn the channel” Bischoff. Paragraphs 4,5,6 = Agree

Baby Goose = Based on your comments on this post, I am guessing that you are between 8 and 11 but I will assume you are 21.

What exactly do you like?

1. You don’t like to read or think about something that lasts longer than 30 seconds. (In my generation we take pride in being 60 minute men.)
2. Anything over 30 is boring. (A. Diamonds are forever and so is You know who. B. With my face on TV, ratings just went through the roof. C. I may be the oldest ride in the park, but I still have the longest line.)

Lighten up Junior.

I can’t believe only a few months have passed since we had that great feud between Desmond Wolfe and Kurt Angle, as well as the one between Daniels and AJ Styles. It feels like it’s been an eternity since those great matches.

OMG here comes the calvary. Time to pull out our big bag of sarcasm and go at each other. Uh no!!! I dont think so. Here’s the deal. I didnt say Tamara Love didnt know what she was talking about. I was being goofy when i said i was too lazy to read that much. I actually did read it. I have nothing against her. I was kidding. So calm down. As for what i like in wrestling… Pretty much anything in Ring Of Honor. I enjoy WWE too. HBK, Jericho, CM Punk, Orton just to name a few. And im even more excited to see Bryan Danielson aka Daniel Bryan in the WWE. I like the X-Division in TNA of course. Also anything involving Joe, Styles or Angle is always great in terms of wrestling. But to get back to TamLove… I never said anything negative towards her. If i offended thee, im sooooo sorry.

:P it’s alright, not enough people rally behind the “please stop using the word gay instead of stupid/silly”* for a lot of people in the world to realize exactly what it is they’re saying. To a lot of people, it’s just a slang term. Other than that, no, you never offended me. I just disagreed with some of the things you said.

On that note, I’m going to have to quote Peter Griffin here and say “Well sir, while I may not agree with what you say, I would gladly fight to the death for your right to say it”.

These two preceeding sentences beforehand may seem contradictory, but they’re not. Family Guy is satire, if you take any of it seriously you probably should be drug out into the street and shot. (Quote from the old Garfield cartoon. It was one of Garfields more common sayings. This is why I don’t get people who say TV is worse now than ever. I seem to recall a lot of bad/offensive things in the last 30 years, from “all in the family”, “married with children”, all the way up to “family guy”.)

*the word has its place in comedy, much like evil racist jokes, horrible baby killing jokes, stereotypes (read: stupid newfie jokes – Canadian thing) and other awful awful things….but they have to be done well/actually be really funny.

**Sometimes my posts are a little wordy. It’s the main reason I never pursued my blog ideas as of yet, as a sufferer of ADHD I have a VERY hard time focusing on things, as I refuse to take the brain/thought altering medicine. Truly. Turns me into a completely different person, inside and out, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. Also, that’s why this post that could have just said “no problem BG, just words on the internet” but instead is huge. I love satire. A bit too much, really.

I used to love TNA, even up to the painful Main Event Mafia nonsense… but, the new Hogan/Bischoff TNA makes me yearn for the carefree MEM days again… I don’t get it… I don’t understand why it has to be a showcase for all Hogan’s friends… has it really helped the ratings? They were doing 1.0 before… what are they now? 1.2? 1.4? When they move to Mondays, who knows what will happen?

Hands down, the best part of TNA is Kurt Angle… anything he’s involved with… the reason Anderson is so entertaining right now is because it’s bouncing off Kurt… he’s the best, and makes whoever he’s working with that much better…

Also loving Pope vs. Styles… good to see young guys pushed to the top… and the Knockouts will always be superior to the Divas, because of one thing… the TNA women know how to BUMP… and aren’t afraid to do so…

Just as a general point I want to add that I like the long comments here. It’s fun for me to read. We’re all wrestling fans. I want to do my part to create a community that sees intelligent wrestling fans talking about the business we love (or at least like a lot) and part of that is up to you guy to have discussions. So keep going. Good job!

I find something to like about every wrestling show. No matter how over the hill or young they are, how they are booked or their in ring skill they all work very hard to keep me entertained. For that , i respect everyone from ECW Zombie to Shawn Michaels.

Nothing against your points Tamara (&friends) but baby goose has a great point – your posts are way too long. A couple of them are much longer than the original post! You should learn “conciseness” for yourself.

I was only goofin. I wasn’t really trying make a good point. Its just that when i see her post i start to scroll down and I’m like, “GOOOO!! that’s a long post.” But I’m not really upset about it. I always read the blog and all the posts. Even JCITY617′S SUPER ROID-RAGED ANGRY POSTS!!! Haha just kiddin 617. But really… No I’m not! Haha!!

“Skimpy clothes on women keeps guys watching. And ladies, don’t be offended by that comment.”

I’m not offended by the comment or the scantily clad women. Since I’m admiring the Baby Oil Brigade, it’s only fair that the guys get to oogle too. Any girl that gets offended is only insecure ‘cos she looks more like Mae Young than Maryse.

One of the problems I have is when people start screaming “young guys don’t know how to work” lately . Nothing against Ms. Love or anyone else but just because you do not wrestle a slow mat based style does not mean you can’t have good matches. One of the problems I have with the WWE is the fact that they force a lot of guys to wrestle the same style and if you deviate from the program “you can’t work” or operation Depush (hi John Morrison and Kofi Kingston). Everyone is too generic and the same in the WWE. It is like eating the same meal everyday over and over again. I love Baked chicken but if that is for dinner everyday I would be driven insane. A good spotfest is like having Chinese food or pizza instead. It may not be the best for you but you crave the diversity.

TNA before Hogan was far from stale and boring. Joe vs Styles vs Daniels was planned before Hogan’s involvement and that was a great match as well as well as as good storyline. Angle vs Wolfe was also in the works before the new regime. One of the problems with that is that you give so much TV time reminding people over and over and over again that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff is in charge that you overshadow and undercut the stars that you are supposed to be building. Vince McMahon runs the WWE but even he knew that the Rock, Steve Austin, D-X, and John Cena have to get more face time than himself.

Very true CamJones.. I agree 100%

Another thing that bothers me is that I am afraid Hulk is developing Vince’s big man fetish because almost the entire X Division has been MIA since the Hogan invasion. Seriously Red is on a milk carton and Jay Lethal has been presumed dead. The knockouts are getting less time as they have to run thier two fued Biweekly and someone needs to be arrested for thier treatment of Samoa Joe.

Ya but isn’t their next ppv “Destination X” mostly revolved around the X-Divison?. They haven’t been building it that way on tv but i went to their site clicked on the Destination X link and it seems its going to focus mostly on the X-Div. guys.

The last match with Hogan and Flair in the same ring was on an episode of Raw in 2002. Not a decade ago in WCW!

Yeah they may talk about on the website but it is an afterthought on both their YouTube page and Impact which is thier biggest forums. If this PPV gets hardly any buyrate who do you think they are going to blame. Bishoff and Hogan or are they going to say “the X Division isn’t a draw”. I am willing to bet its more of the latter. Next year they will replace Destination X with the official Nasty Boys Invitational. Ok maybe that won’t happen but with those two in charge who know what they will drum up.